The Remedy
by ThereseM
Summary: *A Deadliest Catch Story*  Edgar has a few requests for the boat, what will happen when Sig agrees.  Sequel to Contested. Rating for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I own nothing and mean no disrespect to any members of the Deadliest Catch show.

Sig sat at the kitchen table a look of complete disbelief on his face. Across from him was his youngest brother, Edgar, spelling out his demands for the upcoming Red Crab season. So far the list was somewhat reasonable and completely doable however this last demand was completely ridiculous. Sig's eyes slid from Edgar to his brother Norman. Norman's face was completely blank, his poker face was in full effect. Sig hated him a little bit for being able to appear so calm. Sig on the other hand felt like the vein in his forehead was about to explode. Edgar noticed Sig's distraction and slammed his hands down on the table startling everyone. A baby began crying in a back bedroom and a muffled curse was heard from the kitchen . Samantha walked from the kitchen to the back of the house throwing a scowl in Edgar's direction.

"I think your wife is mad at your little temper tantrum" said Norman.

"Thanks captain obvious" replied Edgar.

"Edgar" began Sig.

"No you listen, I need all these things in place or I'm walking" said Edgar. "My plan was to stay home and help with the baby this season, but you made such a big deal about me not training anyone to take my place that I have to come back. Well I'll come back to train Junior or Matt but only if you provide me with the things I've asked for."

"Edgar, I'm willing to get a new comfortable mattress for your bunk, to give more time off to rest between strings but there is no way that I'm going to hire a massage therapist to come along on the trip" said Sig.

"Well no therapist, no Edgar" said Edgar firmly.

"Ok lets just say I agree, which I don't but lets just say I do, where are you going to find someone to do your "therapy"?" asked Sig.

"I'm going to ask the girl that does it now" said Edgar. "If the money is right, I'm sure she will take the job."

"I can't imagine what the right price would be" said Sig.

"Whatever the price it's worth it or you are going to have to find another deck boss" said Edgar.

Sig realized that this discussion was going nowhere and if he didn't get out of the house soon he was going to hit something or someone. He hated being manipulated and he felt that he was definitely being forced into agreeing to Edgar's ridiculous demands for the sake of the season.

"I'll talk to you later" growled Sig.

He didn't direct his farewell to anyone in particular just presented the general statement and headed towards the front door. Edgar and Norman watched him leave then turned to each other and shrugged.

"I thought that went well" said Edgar.

"Yeah, better than expected. No one got hit and nothing got thrown" said Norman.

Samantha appeared in the room holding a squirming baby girl. Norman walked to her and scooped the baby into his arms. He made little cooing noises as he walked around making a quick circuit of the room before turning back towards the baby's bedroom.

"So how did it go?" asked Samantha.

"Better than expected" said Edgar.

"Really? Did he agree to your rock star demands?" asked Samantha.

"Not exactly, but he will. He needs me and I refuse to go back on the boat without some comforts. I'm too old and too hurt for another season like opies" said Edgar.

"I can't believe he agreed to the massage therapist" said Samantha with a snort.

"Yeah well I need to find out how much Natalie will charge to come out with us" said Edgar.

"You're going to take Natalie?" asked Samantha in surprise.

"Yes, she's the best. She knows basic aid and can do physical therapy work if needed" explained Edgar.

"Yeah, but has she even been on a boat?" asked Samantha.

"I don't know, but you hadn't either and look how you turned out" said Edgar.

"I'd been on boats before just not a commercial fishing boat. But Natalie? I don't think she'd be interested in doing it no matter how much money you throw at her" said Samantha.

"Everyone has their price and she's clearly invested in my well being. She's made house calls here multiple times this summer" said Edgar.

"I think she comes over here to see the kids and have dinner with us because she's our friend" said Samantha.

"Maybe, but I believe if I ask her she will do it as a personal favor, as a friend" said Edgar.

"That would be one hell of a favor" said Samantha.

The Northwestern sat docked at the Ballard locks waiting patiently for her crew to arrive. The first one to the boat was Edgar, he hopped aboard the quiet deck and looked around. This was his favorite time of the season, the quiet before the chaos. Tossing his duffle bag in his bunk he went up to the wheelhouse to turn on the engine. Edgar wanted to do all the system checks before the rest of the crew arrived. Firing up the main he headed down to the engine room barely taking a moment to put on his ear protection. By the time he emerged from his engine check Norman and Sig had arrived.

"Hey Edgar, how's the old girl running?" asked Sig.

"Everything is running well" said Edgar.

"It should be, having the engine rebuilt this summer cost us a huge chunk of money" complained Sig.

"Yeah well it had to be done" replied Edgar.

Sig nodded his head and walked up the outside steps to the wheelhouse. Norman turned to Edgar and studied him sagely before asking the question that had been on his mind since the discussion in Edgar's kitchen a month ago.

"So, did Sig meet all your demands?" he asked.

"Yep, every single one" said Edgar proudly.

"So when does the newest crew member arrive?" asked Norman.

"She'll be here in a couple hours, right before we leave. Antha is bringing her" said Edgar.

"Antha is fine with her coming on the boat with all of us?" asked Norman in disbelief.

"Yes, why wouldn't she be?" asked Edgar clearly confused.

"Because she's a woman in close quarters with you and 5 other men" said Norman.

"She's very nice and pretty, but my heart already belongs to my wife. There is no room for anyone else" said Edgar. "But I guess she's up for grabs for the rest of you."

"I'll make a note of that" said Norman.

"Yeah maybe you can arm wrestle for her" said Edgar.

"If only it was that easy" muttered Norman to himself.

Norman and Edgar parted ways at the galley. Both attending to last minute details before the rest of the crew arrived.

A few hours later the whole crew was outside working on securing the deck for the trip to Dutch Harbor. There was still one crew member missing and Edgar kept an eye on the dock in anxious anticipation of her arrival. The deck was almost secured and Sig was chomping at the bit to leave. He was about to tell the guys to pull the lines when Samantha's SUV appeared on the dock. Natalie stepped out onto the dock and reached into the trunk to grab a seabag and a collapsed massage table. She hoisted the bag over her shoulder and walked towards the boat. Edgar scampered onto the dock and grabbed her bag.

"Glad you made it" he said.

"Thanks, sorry we're a little late but your lovely wife insisted we stop for one last meal" said Natalie.

Edgar shot a questioning look at Samantha who just shrugged in response. Tossing the bag onto the deck he turned back to Natalie with a smile.

"I hope nothing in the bag was breakable" he said with an apologetic smile.

"Nope, I left all valuables at home" said Natalie.

Edgar walked over to Samantha and swept her into a fierce embrace. He kissed her soundly then whispered something in her ear before opening the back doors of the SUV and kissing his children. When he turned away from the car his eyes were slightly misty. Natalie handed him the massage table and stood on the dock trying to determine the best way to get on deck.

"It's easiest if you just jump" said Edgar.

"It's a 10 foot drop" said Natalie.

"It's not, you'll be fine" said Edgar.

Natalie watched as Edgar dropped to the deck with practiced ease. Mentally stealing herself for what was bound to be a serious injury she jumped, landing heavily on her feet and immediately dropping to her knees.

"Well that's one way to get on the boat" said Matt holding out his hand.

Natalie looked up through lowered lashes before accepting the proffered hand and standing up.

"Hi, I'm Matt."

"Natalie, nice to meet you."

"Enough chit chat Bradley, get her inside and lets pull the lines" barked Sig over the hailer.

Natalie grabbed her table from Edgar and picked up the seabag from the deck. She followed Matt into the galley and quickly found a place to temporarily stow her stuff. Natalie was about to head back outside when Sig's voice called to her from the wheelhouse.

"Don't go back outside, just come up here. I want to make sure everyone is safe and since you've never been on the boat before it's easier for me to keep an eye on you when I can actually physically see you."

Natalie didn't bother responding she just climbed the stairs to the wheelhouse. Sig sized her up for a moment before motioning for her to sit on the bench seat. Natalie took the seat and stayed silent as Sig moved to the portside controls and pulled the boat away from the dock. As the boat moved slowly through the locks she remained quietly seated watching the scenery and surreptitiously studying the captain.

"Do you talk?" asked Sig as they cleared the last lock.

"Yes, but I didn't want to distract you" replied Natalie.

"I've gone through these locks at least 4 times a year for the better part of 20 years, I can hold a conversation and drive the boat at the same time" said Sig.

"Right. Well, I'll remember that for next time" said Natalie.

"I'm Sig by the way."

"Natalie, nice to meet you."

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that Edgar demanding you be on the boat is less than ideal" began Sig. "My dad is probably rolling over in his grave right now because of you."

Natalie remained silent, she was at a loss at what she could say in response to such a comment. At the silence Sig turned around and studied Natalie a little more. He was looking for tears or perhaps a blush, instead he was met with cold indifference. Her stoic face reminded him a little of Norman's poker face, she gave away nothing. He made a mental note to get her to play cards with them some time it would make for an interesting game.

"So what kind of magical healing do you do?" asked Sig.

"I don't do anything magical" replied Natalie evenly.

"Well according to Edgar you are the only thing keeping him upright" said Sig.

"I do healing massage and physical therapy. I can help with strains and pulled muscles by working through massage, I'm also trained in Reiki healing and basic first aid" said Natalie.

"Can you cook?" asked Sig.

"Yes" said Natalie.

"Great, you can take over the cooking" said Sig. "Maybe Matt will quit bitching about having to make all the meals."

"I'll be happy to do the cooking" said Natalie.

Sig gave her a slight smile and turned back to the open ocean. After another hour or so Natalie stood up and stretched.

"Will I be required to stay up here the entire time I'm on the boat or would it be permissible for me to go downstairs and familiarize myself with the kitchen?" asked Natalie.

"It's called a galley and you can go familiarize yourself with whatever you want as long as you stay inside" said Sig.

"Thanks" muttered Natalie.

Natalie was rummaging through the kitchen trying to locate the bulk of the food. So far she'd managed to find all the utensils and pots but no actual food. The fridge was stocked with drinks but not much else. She'd opened all the drawers and found nothing edible. Matt found her bent over and half way in one of the bottom cabinets.

"Do you need some help?" he asked.

His voice made Natalie jump which caused her head to whack painfully into the top of the shelf.

"Mother fucker" yelped Natalie.

"Well you cuss like a sailor, clearly you'll do fine on this boat" said Matt with a chuckle.

Natalie pulled her head out and sat down on the floor rubbing the growing knot. Matt pulled an ice pack out of the freezer and placed it on her head.

"Lets get you off the floor" said Matt pulling her into a standing position.

Natalie stood up and moved over to the galley table and sat down on the banquette seat. She still had the ice pack on her head when Edgar walked into the galley.

"You're hurt already?" he said in surprise.

"It's just a bump. Matt startled me and I hit my head" explained Natalie.

"What were you doing?" asked Edgar.

"Familiarizing myself with the kitchen" said Natalie.

"Galley" corrected Edgar.

"Fine galley. I've been promoted to cook, so I thought it would be a good idea to see what kind of food is on the boat" said Natalie.

"Well you can make a shopping list of things you want to buy in Dutch. We usually only leave Washington with a few things for the trip up and all the frozen meat. Once in Dutch we either pick up the rest of have it delivered" explained Edgar.

"So where is all this frozen meat?" asked Natalie.

"In the freezer" said Edgar as if he was talking to a child.

"I checked that freezer and there is nothing but ice packs and ice cream in there" said Natalie.

"Oh, not in this freezer, in the one outside" said Edgar.

"I'll show her" volunteered Matt.

"Later, right now we need to show her where she's going to be sleeping" said Edgar.

"Sleeping? I thought there was no rest on the Northwestern" said Natalie teasingly.

"It's funny because it's true" said Matt.

"That's why you're here. When we are all beat up and tired you are going to heal us" said Edgar.

"I can't wait to feel you work your magic" said Matt.

"Oh it's magical" said Edgar wistfully.

"So where is she sleeping?" asked Matt.

"My room" answered Edgar. "We have the extra bunk and I doubt Norman will mind a bit of pretty scenery when he gets up in the morning."

Natalie scowled at the thought of her being called scenery as she followed Edgar to the stateroom.

The room was a lot smaller than she thought it would be. In fact the whole boat had a cramped feel to it that made moving around feel slightly claustrophobic. The room had three beds all on top of each other. There was enough room for her massage table if no one wanted to move in and out of the door. It was going to be tight as a treatment room but she could make it work. Her bag was already set in the corner of the room and her pillow placed on the top bunk. From where she stood on the floor she realized she would have to climb on the bottom bunk to even reach hers.

"So what healing stuff did you bring?" asked Matt.

"Everything I could think of" replied Natalie. "I even took a few refresher classes in acupuncture."

"I hope Sig volunteers for that" said Matt.

"No kidding, I'll volunteer him for it right now" said Edgar.

The door opened and Jake walked into the room. He looked between Matt and Edgar then glanced briefly at Natalie before returning his gaze to Edgar.

"What's up Junior?" asked Edgar.

"Sig is asking for you" said Jake.

"What does he want?" asked Edgar.

Jake shot Edgar a glare and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Next time he asks for me ask him what he wants" said Edgar.

"I will if I have a death wish" muttered Jake.

"Have you met Natalie?" asked Matt.

"No, not officially" answered Jake.

"I'm Natalie, nice to meet you."

"Jake, but everyone on here calls me Junior."

"Ok" said Natalie. "If you don't mind I'll just call you Jake."

Jake smiled at her pronouncement before turning and heading out the door.

"Well I should go see what Sig wants" said Edgar. "Natalie, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Anyone should be more than willing to help, with the exception of Sig."

"Ok" said Natalie.

"Just say roger" said Edgar.

Natalie just stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"Matt will explain" said Edgar as he walked down the hall.

The deck of the Northwestern was pitching slightly as Natalie stood in the walk in freezer. She was trying to follow the completely obligatory organizational system for the bait and the food fit for human consumption. She and Matt had been in the freezer for about 10 minutes and Natalie was starting to shiver. There were boxes of meat and fish seemingly mixed in with each other. Natalie attempted to read the boxes but the titles were frosted over and the moment she placed her hand on any of the stacked boxes they would teeter slightly. Fearing they would topple over she stopped herself from touching them. There were gallons of milk frozen on the floor in crates and a few bags of frozen vegetables.

"I know the system is a little confusing but it's important not to move anything once we get all the bait in" said Matt.

"Why?" asked Natalie.

"Because when we are working 40 hours straight on deck, we can no longer focus on reading boxes, so we sometimes end up grinding the food in the bait grinder if stuff gets moved around" said Matt.

"Has that ever happen?" asked Natalie.

"Once" replied Matt.

"Does that mean you were forced to eat bait for the rest of the trip?" asked Natalie.

"No, we had cereal and cup of noodles" said Matt. "Although we did work a little harder to get the boat stuffed so we could head to town to restock."

"Well I suppose reorganization is out of the question. I don't want to eat cereal or cup of noodles for an extended period of time" said Natalie.

"It really wasn't so bad" said Matt.

"Still, I can respect the system" said Natalie.

"Are you cold?" asked Matt suddenly noticing her shivering.

"Yes, but to be fair we are in a freezer" said Natalie.

"Well lets get out of the freezer so you can defrost. Chances are the coffee is hot" said Matt.

Natalie slid into a seat clutching the cup of coffee in her hands. She was desperately trying to bring her hands back to their normal temperature. Nick slid into the seat next to her providing her with a nice amount of body heat. Natalie moved a little closer to him drawing more heat from his body.

"Are you cold?" asked Nick.

"Yes, freezing" said Natalie through chattering teeth.

Nick pulled off his sweatshirt and handed it over. Natalie wasted no time slipping it over her head. She immediately felt warmer and snuggled back into the seat. She picked the cup of coffee off the table and took a final sip then stuffed her hands into the front pocket of the sweatshirt. Looking down at the sweatshirt she saw a faded picture of the Northwestern surrounded by various spots and stains.

"What's all over this sweatshirt?" asked Natalie.

"Um, 10 years of fishing" said Nick.

"Maybe it's better I not know the specifics" said Natalie.

"I'm sure your sweatshirts will be covered with a few of them by the end of the trip" said Nick.

"I hope not" said Natalie.

"You can't help but get dirty on a crab boat" said Nick.

"Why would I get dirty? I'm not planning on doing any fishing" said Natalie. "Sig made me promise to stay inside."

"I'm pretty sure he didn't say that" said Edgar from the galley.

"Oh he did and I'm holding him to it" countered Natalie.

"You'll get bored in here, you need fresh air" said Edgar.

"I'll open a window" said Natalie.

"Yeah, we'll see how long you last being confined" said Edgar.

"As long as necessary" said Natalie.

Norman appeared in the galley and poured himself a cup of coffee before sliding into the seat on the other side of Natalie. He'd heard the tail end of the conversation.

"Why don't you want to work on deck?" asked Norman.

"Because that's not what I'm here for" said Natalie. "I'm here to keep all of you healthy and fed."

"You're going to be the new cook?" asked Nick.

"Does that mean there won't be any more Bradley whine with dinner?" quipped Edgar.

"Funny" said Matt. "It's a completely thankless job."

"Well at least I'll get to stay inside" said Natalie.

"Do you take requests?" asked Nick.

"No" replied Natalie with a completely straight face.

Everyone in the galley stared at her in surprise. After a beat Natalie smiled and winked.

"Oh she's going to give you a run for your money Norman on being the driest person on the show" said Edgar.

Norman just shrugged in response.

"Do I have to be on the show?" asked Natalie.

"Probably, unless you want to play the mute like Norman does" said Edgar.

"It's not as easy as it looks" said Norman. "Those guys are relentless."

"To be honest I've never seen the show" said Natalie.

"Never?" said Nick in surprise.

"Nope" said Natalie.

"Well that explains why you agreed to come on this trip with us" said Matt.

Natalie was starting to get concerned about what she'd gotten herself into. Her discussion with Samantha at lunch started to come back to her. The conversation which seemed completely bizarre to her at the time suddenly made perfect sense. The danger, the infighting and the fact that she was going to be trapped on a boat with 6 insane men for anywhere from three to six weeks was making her regret agreeing to do this. She tried to think back if Samantha had said anything positive about the whole experience. She found herself drawing a blank.

**ANOTHER NOTE: Just to let you know I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this story. My personal life is rather overwhelming right now. I just had twins a month ago and I'm still adjusting to life. But writing these stories gives me a wonderful outlet from the stress of my life. I'll try to be conscious of my readers but I can't guarantee any kind of schedule for updates.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Please read and review.

Natalie managed to stay off the deck for almost the entire voyage to Dutch. She emerged only twice, once to take a picture of a pod of whales and the second time to get some meat out of the freezer. Both sojourns out on deck were completely uneventful and gave her some much needed confidence in her sea legs. The crew of the Northwestern was also impressed with Natalie, she hadn't thrown up or complained about anything. Sig was convinced she was saving her bitching for when they were out fishing and he had no where to drop her off. The food she'd made so far was tasty even though there was a distinct lack of fresh ingredients. Natalie's list for the grocery store in Dutch was growing by the day. She discussed her desired ingredients in great length with Matt, who informed her what she could and couldn't expect to find in Unalaska's only grocery store.

"What about wine?" asked Natalie.

"Why would you need wine?" asked Matt.

"For cooking, incase I want to flambe something" said Natalie.

"I would save the setting stuff on fire to Edgar, he might be a little unnerved if someone is stealing his thunder" said Matt.

"Oh, ok. I guess fire and boats don't really mix well anyway" said Natalie.

"That is very true" said Matt. "How's the list?"

"Huge" replied Natalie. "Will I be able to shop for fresh veggies and fruits every time we drive back to Dutch?"

"Firstly we don't drive we sail, secondly it's called offloading and yes each time we offload we can restock the fresh stuff" explained Matt.

"Do you really need to correct me every time I call something by the wrong name?" asked Natalie.

"No, but it will help Sig like you more if you use all the correct lingo" said Matt.

"Lingo? I feel like I just stepped back into the 70's. All that's missing is your bellbottom pants" teased Natalie.

"How old were you in the 70's?" asked Matt.

"I wasn't born yet" said Natalie.

Matt's mouth dropped opened and for the first time he realized how young Natalie was. He was too shocked to ask her actual age. Edgar appeared in the galley and grabbed Natalie's list off the counter and began to inspect it. Taking the pen he increased the amounts of everything on the list.

"There, that's probably a better idea of what we'll need" said Edgar handing the list back to her.

"I was just going to buy for the first trip, not the whole time we're at sea" said Natalie.

"I was adjusting your numbers for one trip" said Edgar.

"There is no way you are going to eat 12 dozen eggs in a few weeks" said Natalie.

"You're right, we will probably eat more. We usually cook close to a dozen per breakfast" said Edgar taking back the paper.

Natalie's mouth hung open at Edgar's pronouncement. She grabbed the list back and re-read the increased amounts. Turning back towards the cupboards she inspected the size of the pots and pans available to her. She pulled out a tiny skillet and held it up for inspection.

"Then why do you have such small things in here?" she asked. "I could never cook 12 eggs in this."

"True, but it came with the set" said Edgar smugly.

Natalie frowned and tossed the skillet back into the cabinet. Slamming the cabinet closed with her foot she walked out of the galley towards the staterooms. She was going to have rethink the portions of the meal plans she created, clearly one pan of lasagna wasn't going to be enough.

According to Sig they were less than 24 hours away from Dutch Harbor. The weather had picked up as a storm was heading towards the Bearing Sea. The boat pitched in the rough weather making doing almost anything far more challenging than it should be. Natalie was sitting in the wheelhouse with Sig and Edgar watching the waves roar by the wheelhouse windows. Although she'd never been on a commercial fishing boat before she'd certainly seen a fair share of storms. Spears of lightning in the distance lit up the sky.

"What happens if the boat is hit by lightning?" asked Natalie curiously.

Sig turned around from his chair and glared at her for a moment before turning back towards the windows.

"It's bad luck to ask questions like that" scolded Edgar.

"Do you have some sort of handbook you could give me so I can learn what I should and shouldn't say while on this boat" sneered Natalie.

"Nope, you just have to learn through experience" said Edgar.

"It would be easier if you just told me all the rules and superstitions all at once" said Natalie.

"That would be too easy and nothing out here is easy" said Sig.

"I realized that this morning when I fell down trying to put on a pair of socks" said Natalie.

"Which was hilarious. I think Norman is still laughing about it" said Edgar.

"I'd be careful what you say. I know where you sleep and have sharp needles in my possession" threatened Natalie.

"I thought you took an oath not to cause harm" said Edgar.

"That oath is for doctors, I took no such oath" said Natalie.

"Natalie, when does the magical healing start?" asked Sig.

"Whenever someone needs something healed and it's not magic" answered Natalie.

"How about my butt? It's going numb" said Sig.

"That's caused by lack of circulation from sitting too long in the chair. The remedy for that is getting up every once in a while" said Natalie.

"Come over here and take over" said Sig.

"I don't know how to drive a boat, I'm not licensed" said Natalie in horror.

"It drives itself" said Sig.

"So what do you do up here all day if it drives itself?" asked Natalie saucily.

Edgar's mouth dropped open in shock he wondered if Sig was just going to kill her outright or if he would torture her first. But instead of the verbal flaying he expected Sig just laughed.

"You have some guts" said Sig.

"Not enough to want to drive a boat in the middle of a storm" said Natalie.

"This storm is nothing" said Sig ominously.

Natalie walked behind Sig's chair, placed her hands gently on his neck and slowly began to knead the knots out it. Sig was silenced, his eyes closing in a combination of pain and relief. Edgar watched them for a moment, wondering if he got such a ridiculous look on his face when Natalie massaged him. He hoped not.

"Don't get him too relaxed" said Edgar. "Right now he's the only one between us and the ocean floor."

Natalie's hands stilled and Sig's eyes popped back open.

"Edgar, you are such a killjoy" said Sig.

The next morning Natalie was working on making breakfast while trying to remain upright on a constantly swaying boat. Every thing she'd set on the counter had already fallen to the floor at least once. The large mixing bowl was now sitting in the sink in order to keep the eggs in it from spilling again. She'd realized why they needed so many eggs, clearly breakfast could not be made without dropping at least half a dozen. The bacon was cooking in the oven which thankfully locked shut. Natalie had patted herself on the back for that brilliant idea however the debacle with the egg had soured her good mood. The only thing that saved her from walking out of the kitchen in a huff was her ipod. The music made her smile despite her kitchen disasters. Popping three cans of biscuits she lined them up on a huge sheet pan while swaying her hips to Def Leopard. Norman walked sleepily into the kitchen and headed for the coffee pot. Grabbing his mug down from the shelf he noticed the delicious smell of bacon wafting from the galley. He was surprised to see Natalie swaying back and forth whisking something in the sink. At first he wasn't sure if she was dancing or just unsteady on her feet, he realized after she attempted to execute a turn and unintentionally ran into the counter that it was clearly a little of both. The tiny white earbuds in her ears told him she was completely unaware of his presence which gave him the chance to watch her unobserved. The first thing he noticed was that she was still wearing her pajamas, the low slung pants showed off her waist and the t-shirt was short enough that a few inches of skin was exposed each time she raised her arms. Her hair was still tousled from sleep and pulled back in a messy ponytail. The thing that caught his attention most was her smile, it was beaming. Her happiness was contagious and Norman found himself smiling back at her dancing form.

"You should just take a picture it would last longer" said Matt making Norman jump.

"Why are you up so early?" asked Norman.

"Because I smelled bacon" replied Matt as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Natalie poured the eggs into a large skillet and began slowly turning them into scrambled eggs. By the time she'd finished making the eggs she was singing out loud and off key. Matt and Norman had to physically stifle their laughter by stuffing their hands in their mouths. The racket from the kitchen drew the other members of the crew into the galley. They all stood quietly watching Natalie dance and sing around the kitchen while she cooked breakfast. She knew she was caught the moment she put the serving bowl full of eggs on the counter. Natalie stood in complete shock and then smiled and continued to sing. By the time breakfast was on the table everyone was laughing hysterically.

"So have you ever considered singing professionally?" chuckled Nick.

"I didn't know they had a need for tone deaf talent" said Natalie.

"What you lack in tone you more than make up for in enthusiasm" said Matt.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

"Breakfast is delicious and the pre-meal entertainment was phenomenal" said Edgar with a smile. "We'll be in Dutch in a few hours and then the real work will start."

Natalie stood on the deck of the Northwestern watching the buildings on land slowly become bigger and more defined. The sight of land was a relief after the last storm filled hours. The sky was just starting to clear and the sun finally making a much welcomed appearance. The guys had spent the last few hours of free time resting. Natalie had spent the time reviewing her grocery list, it had grown exponentially since she'd first written it. She'd gone back to the freezer to double check what was already in there before finalizing what she needed. Wrapping her arms around her she realized the wind had started to pick up. Turning to walk inside she heard Sig's voice bellow over the hailer.

"Natalie, it's getting rough again, come inside" he said.

Natalie nodded towards the camera mounted on deck and continued inside. She stopped briefly to change the laundry from the washer to the dryer and then continued up to the wheelhouse. Sig had gotten her into the habit of checking in with him so he could verify her physical well being after each time she ventured outside. Natalie smoothed her hair before presenting herself for inspection. Hearing her soft tread on the stairs Sig turned in his seat as soon as she crossed the threshold.

"Good Afternoon" he said with a smile. "Did you enjoy your time outside?"

"Yes, but the wind messed up my hair" said Natalie with a smile.

"It looks fine" said Sig.

Natalie smiled shyly and Sig thought he saw a brief blush stain her cheeks.

"Well, we are going to be in Dutch within the hour" said Sig.

"Roger Dodger" said Natalie.

"Well you got that half right" said Sig.

"I said roger, that's what I'm suppose to say" said Natalie hotly.

"Yes, but it sounds very unfishermanlike to say dodger afterwards" said Sig, in a voice more suitable for speaking to a toddler.

Natalie bristled at the tone and briskly turned away and started down the stairs.

"Oh, don't get all hurt over what I said" called Sig.

But Natalie was already out of earshot.

The crew was assembled on the deck poised to throw the lines and get the boat secured in port. Natalie sat in the wheelhouse with Sig waiting for the all clear to go down on deck. She was dressed for her shopping excursion in jeans and a sweater. Her coat was laid over her lap as she anxiously waited for a chance to walk on dry land again. Sig pulled up next to the Time Bandit and told the guys to throw the lines. Natalie watched in horror as the Northwestern was secured to the boat next to it instead of the dock.

"How are we suppose to get to the dock?" asked Natalie.

"We just walk across the other boat" replied Sig distractedly.

Natalie studied the distance between the decks of the boats, using her high school math knowledge she tried to estimate the distance she was going to be expected to jump. Frowning to herself she realized that the distance had to be more than 6 feet. She was slightly relieved as the lines were tightened and the boats drew closer together.

"Why are you frowning like that?" asked Sig as he powered down the engine.

"I don't think I can jump that far" said Natalie.

"If you can't make the jump we'll just have someone throw you" said Sig.

Natalie wasn't sure if he was joking or serious.

"Let's go" called Sig from the bottom of the stairs.

Natalie gritted her teeth and hurried after him, in her distraction she didn't notice he'd stopped at the bottom of the stairs and smacked straight into him.

Sig turned around, helped Natalie back to a standing position before leading her outside. The rest of the crew was standing on the deck waiting for word to go ashore.

"Alright, who's doing what?" asked Sig.

"What needs to get done?" asked Matt.

"We need to get the bait situated and tell Trident how many pots we are going to carry" said Sig.

"Someone needs to take Natalie grocery shopping" said Edgar. "And I need to get a few extra parts for the boat."

Sig fished out his wallet and handed Natalie a credit card.

"What's my budget?" asked Natalie slipping the card into her jean pocket.

"You don't have one" said Sig. "Make sure you get enough, if you are in doubt buy more."

"Ok" said Natalie but amended it to Roger when she saw the look on Sig's face.

"I'll go with Natalie" volunteered Matt. "I know what we need."

"No, I want you to go with me" said Edgar. "Send Junior."

"Fine" said Matt.

"Junior, take one of the company cars and hurry back" said Sig.

"Roger" said Jake and started to lead Natalie away from the group.

"Do you have your list?" asked Jake.

"Yes" said Natalie.

Jake crossed the deck and deftly pulled himself onto the rail before hoping onto the Time Bandit. Once on the deck he turned around to see if Natalie was following him and was slightly annoyed not to see her. He climbed back up the rail and looked back onto the Northwestern, he found Natalie standing on the deck in the same position he'd left her.

"Come on" said Jake.

"Fine, just tell me how I'm suppose to get over there" said Natalie.

Jake stared at her trying to see if she was joking then realized that she was completely serious.

"Just carry her across" said Sig.

"No. I can do it myself" said Natalie.

Looking down at her poorly chosen footwear she cringed at the ankle boots. Shaking off her fear she pulled herself up onto the rail and stood up shakily. Jake held out his hand and after a moment of paralyzing fear Natalie leaned over and grabbed it. Jake led her across to the rail of the Time Bandit. A small fissure of pride flowed through her as she made it to the other side without falling into the water. Her pride however was completely wiped out as she slipped on the wet deck and fell into Jake causing both of them to crash to the ground.

"Sorry" muttered Natalie.

"If you wanted to get me horizontal all you had to do was ask" said Jake with a smirk.

"Funny" said Natalie as she got up.

Jake stood and rubbed his back.

Well since I'm the one to injure you I'll give you a nice treatment when we get back" said Natalie.

"Can't wait" said Jake with a smile.

Natalie barely made the jump from the Time Bandit to the dock and Jake had to grab her before she tumbled backwards into the water. Natalie was shaken from her near death experience but managed to compose herself enough to follow Jake to the nearest SUV. Jake opened the drivers door and climbed in, he checked the visor for keys and smiled when they fell into his lap.

"We're in business" said Jake with a wink.

"Are we stealing this car?" asked Natalie.

"No, the cars are here for us to use" said Jake.

"Who do they belong to?" asked Natalie.

"Trident I guess?" said Jake. "I've never really bothered to ask."

"So we could actually be stealing this car" said Natalie.

"Technically we'd only be borrowing it because we are bringing it right back here when we're done" said Jake.

Natalie frowned but said nothing more about the car situation.

Jake drove through the town at breakneck speed trying to get a rise out of Natalie. But she remained outwardly calm, the only break was when he almost smacked into a slow moving car that pulled unexpectedly into their path. The gasp she admitted was almost silent but her quick sign of the cross was clearly visible much to Jake's delight.

"It's nice to see you aren't made of stone" said Jake.

"If you are just trying to scare me, then consider your objective met" said Natalie.

"You just seem so calm" said Jake.

"Are you kidding me, I almost fall into the water trying to jump to the dock and then you spend the ride in the car trying to give me a heart attack. I think you are going to be my guinea pig for the acupuncture" said Natalie.

"Sorry, just wanted to have a little fun" said Jake. "I'll be on my best behavior for the rest of the trip."

The sentence was barely out of his mouth before he turned into the parking lot of the grocery store and jumped the curb. Natalie gave him a scathing look before rolling her eyes.

"That was an accident" said Jake. "Honest."

"Right" said Natalie.

Jake pulled the SUV into a spot and threw open the door. Natalie collected her list, smoothed her hair back and took a deep breath before exiting the vehicle. Jake walked ahead of her like an excited puppy on a walk.

"This is going to be a very long trip" muttered Natalie as she hurried to catch up.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please read and review.

Natalie sat on the pallet cart while Jake pushed her through the aisles of the store. So far all they'd purchased were drinks. Natalie was sitting on top of 6 cases of water waiting for Jake to get to the snack food aisle. Edgar had added chips and junk food to the list and while Natalie didn't normally eat that kind of food it was clearly something everyone on the Northwestern craved. Stopping in front of the cookies Jake grabbed a few bags of oreos then paused before reaching for some other cookies.

"What kind do you want?" asked Jake.

"None, I don't really eat sweets" said Natalie.

Jake turned and looked at her as if she'd announced she was from the planet Mars.

"Not at all?" asked Jake in disbelief.

"Not really, I like fruit" said Natalie.

"How about a pack of apple newtons, it has fruit in it" suggested Jake.

"That's not really the same but fine" said Natalie.

"Ok, what's next?" asked Jake.

"The pasta aisle" said Natalie.

The next hour and a half was spent methodically filling up two carts up with everything on the list. By the time they were finished Natalie needed a nap. Standing at the check out stand Natalie watched the number on the register rise. By the time the last item was rung up the total came to almost a thousand dollars.

"It's too much" she announced.

"It's fine" reassured Jake.

Natalie hesitantly passed the credit card to the cashier who scanned it before looking at the name on the card.

"Well Sig, you've certainly gotten a little prettier" she said.

"Why thank you, I've been trying out some new make up" quipped Natalie.

Jake and the cashier laughed at Natalie's joke. Natalie scrawled out Sig's name before taking the proffered receipt. She folded the huge receipt and stuffed it into her pocket. At the car Natalie and Jake stood in front of the trunk working to fit everything into the SUV.

"It's like a game of tetris" said Natalie.

"Were you good at that game?" asked Jake as he stuffed a bag into the already full trunk.

"Um, not really" said Natalie.

"Then I'm pretty sure we're screwed" said Jake.

It took the pair almost an hour to pack the car, in the end Natalie drove while Jake sat in the passenger seat with his knees pressed against the dashboard, balancing three cases of muffins on his lap.

"So how are you at driving?" asked Jake.

"Better than you" said Natalie.

"That's not really saying much" said Jake.

"True" replied Natalie.

Natalie put the car in gear and pulled to the edge of the parking lot and stopped.

"What's up?" asked Jake.

"I'm going to need directions" said Natalie.

"Oh, take a left" said Jake.

The pair managed to make it all the way back to the dock in one piece with only a few broken eggs and one split bag of onions.

Sig saw the SUV approach the boat, the rest of the guys had made it back from their errands a few minutes earlier. He was surprised to see Natalie getting out of the drivers side of the car. Watching her walk around the car he wondered what the hell was wrong with Jake that he wasn't able to open the car door. The comedy of errors began the moment Natalie opened the door causing Jake to roll out of the car and onto the ground. Instead of catching Jake, she caught two of the boxes of muffins. Jake obviously said something rude because Natalie dropped both of the boxes on his head and walked away.

"Hey Edgar, go help Junior before the girl beats him up" called Sig over the hailer.

Edgar walked towards the edge of the boat and hopped onto the dock. The Time Bandit had graciously switched spots with Sig so he could load on his gear.

"Hey Natalie what's going on?" asked Edgar.

"Nothing" said Natalie with a pout that would have made a kindergartner blush.

"Ok" said Edgar covering a smile. Can you go ask Matt to get a pallet hooked up to the crane so we can load on the food?"

"Sure" said Natalie.

Showing she was either a fast learner or anger made her brave she dropped onto the deck with nary a wobble. She walked confidently inside to find Matt. She emerged a minute later with Matt in tow. Norman and Matt worked together to set up the pallet and raise it onto the deck.

"How was grocery shopping?" asked Norman.

"Fine" snapped Natalie.

Norman was surprised by her curt answer and glanced sideways at her pink cheeks and angry scowl. Matt noticed too and couldn't leave well enough alone.

"Natalie, are you practicing the Norman method of answering?" asked Matt. "Because the cameras aren't even on here yet."

"You know what" began Natalie but stopped suddenly.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and mouthed something to herself before turning to Matt.

"Sorry, I'm fine" said Natalie. "I think I'm going to give Sig back the credit card and receipt."

With that announcement she turned and walked back towards the house.

"What do you think Jake said to her?" asked Matt.

"Who knows, but whatever it was she clearly didn't like it" answered Norman with a shrug.

In the wheelhouse Sig was pouring over charts of the fishing grounds. He was so engrossed that he didn't hear Natalie walking up the stairs. She watched him for a few moments before she decided to interrupt.

"Sig, I have the credit card and receipt" she said quietly.

"Just hold onto it" said Sig.

Natalie just nodded. Sig not hearing a response looked up from his charts. He saw Natalie's tight mouth and teary eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Sig.

"Nothing" said Natalie giving Sig a fake smile.

"You are a terrible liar" said Sig.

"Yeah well, I don't do it very often" said Natalie.

"Then why start now?" asked Sig.

"Is this an episode of Oprah? Why do you care what's wrong with me? Don't you have some work to do or does the boat decide where to go on its own too" said Natalie.

"Well the kitty has claws" said Sig.

"Fuck off" shouted Natalie before storming down the stairs.

Sig watched her retreating back race down to the galley.

"Wow. What the hell was that?" said Sig to himself.

Deciding that he wanted to know what happened he told Jake to come up. Jake used the outside stairs. The questioning started before Jake even had a chance to close the door.

"What did you say to her?" asked Sig.

"Nothing bad" said Jake. "I think she's just grumpy."

"She just told me to fuck off, I think she's a little more than grumpy" said Sig.

"You don't know that, she might curse like that all the time" said Jake hopefully.

"Tell me what you said to her so we can get back to work" said Sig.

"All I said was that we were going to have lots of fun with her on the boat" said Jake.

"What else did you say?" probed Sig.

"Then she said something about what her job was" said Jake.

"And what did you say?" lead Sig.

"I said she was here to help us" said Jake looking away from Sig.

"What exactly did you say, word for word" said Sig his voice hard.

"I didn't mean anything by it" said Jake.

"What did you say?" continued Sig.

"I said she was here for our pleasure" said Jake. "That it was her job to make us feel good."

"Oh Junior, I swear to God sometimes I think you have bait for brains" said Sig with a sigh.

"I didn't say anything to hurt her feelings" said Jake.

"Well you realize that you basically called her a slut here for our amusement" said Sig.

The color drained from Jake's face at the realization of what he'd said.

"Shit" said Jake.

"Yep" was all Sig said.

Natalie sat stoically in the galley, well as stoically as someone could while watching a bunch of guys make idiotic comments while putting away groceries. She was perched on the counter with a cup of coffee clutched in her hand alternatively drinking out of it and using it to hide her smile. She hadn't offered to help put anything away and the only reason she wasn't in her bunk pouting was she needed to know where the food was being stored. Jake and Sig had made her uncomfortable and hurt her feelings. She was there to help them but not as their pleasure slave. She wasn't even sure that was what Jake had meant, but the implication of his comment were very clear. If everyone on the boat thought that she was just there to do whatever they asked, then she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

"Earth to Natalie" said Edgar.

"What" snapped Natalie in response.

"How tall are you?" asked Edgar.

"5'5 why?" asked Natalie.

"Can you reach into the top cabinet?" said Edgar.

"Possibly" said Natalie.

"I need to know if I can put stuff up there" said Edgar. "So come try and reach."

She hopped down from the counter and walked over to where Edgar was standing. Standing on her tiptoes she reached her arm up to the cabinet, she was just a fingertip short of reaching it. Determined to reach it she hopped a little in an attempt to reach, she managed to touch the item but wasn't able to pull it down.

"I guess that answers my question" said Edgar.

"I can get stuff down from there" said Natalie defiantly.

She opened the lower drawer and stood in it to get onto the counter, once she was up there she knelt up and pulled the package out of the cabinet. Proving her point she put the food back in the cabinet and got down.

"In theory it would work, but I don't think you want to be climbing on the counter once the boat is actually out of the harbor" said Edgar.

"I'll be fine" insisted Natalie.

"Are you kidding, you couldn't even put your socks on without falling and you think I'm going to let you scale the counter every you need something out of the high cabinet" said Edgar.

"Let me? Don't worry about letting me do anything just put the junk food up there. I won't need that" said Natalie.

"We'll just find another place to put everything" said Edgar.

Natalie just shrugged in response and went back to sitting on the counter. The guys continued to put the food away but Natalie wasn't paying attention, all she wanted to do was get the hell off the boat.

In light of Natalie's grumpy mood and her studious avoidance of both himself and Jake, Sig decided to take everyone out to dinner at the Aleutian Hotel. The buffet was tasty and the guys could blow off a little steam in town afterwards. Even more important was getting Natalie out of her bad mood. Sig didn't think there could be anything worse than a woman on the boat, he was wrong a grumpy woman was ten times worse. Sig was about to walk down to the galley to announce his intentions to the group when he heard Natalie's voice. He promptly returned to the wheelhouse and picked up the hailer.

"Everyone, get dressed we're going to dinner" he announced.

Placing the microphone back into the cradle he shook his head muttering to himself not to be a pussy on his own boat. Downstairs the announcement brought glints of amusement to everyone's faces. Immediately everyone sprung into action and moved towards their staterooms to get dressed. Natalie dragged her feet a little giving Norman and Edgar time to change before she walked in. Nick emerged from his quarters as Natalie was strolling down the hall.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm just giving the guys a little privacy" replied Natalie.

"That kind of courtesy is totally wasted on this boat" said Nick.

"Well I'd want the same" said Natalie.

"You won't get it" said Nick. "Here's a little something that will help you on this boat. Lower your expectations and you won't be disappointed."

"Why should I lower myself at all?" countered Natalie.

"Because if you'd just not expect too much then you won't be constantly thinking all of us are insensitive idiots. You'll just see that we're guys who are use to just working around guys we care about but don't give a shit about at the same time. We don't worry about respecting boundaries."

"Right" said Natalie.

She rolled around what Nick said in her head as she walked into the room. Both Edgar and Norman were dressed, they both went silent when she entered. Natalie glanced at them and gave a small smile before walking to her bag. She could feel their eyes on her back as she bent over to collect her clothes. Steeling herself for whatever idiotic thing they were about to say, she turned around. They were giving each other sideways glances.

"Go ahead and say what you have to say" said Natalie.

"It's nothing, we'll talk about it at dinner" said Edgar as he hustled Norman out of the room.

Natalie rolled her eyes and hurried to change clothes. She was just putting on some mascara when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" she called.

"Hey, just wanted to see if you were ready" said Matt.

"Yeah, I'm ready" replied Natalie.

"Um, you probably want to grab a sweater or something" said Matt staring at Natalie's shirt.

"Why?" asked Natalie her voice hardening.

"Because we are in Alaska and it's cold at night" explained Matt.

"Oh, right, of course" said Natalie sheepishly.

Grabbing a sweater out of her bag she quickly followed Matt out onto the deck. The climb to the dock was much easier, clearly practice did make perfect. The group piled into a few of the SUV's parked on the dock and headed to dinner.

The sun was setting as they drove to the hotel for dinner. Natalie watched the changing colors from the car window. The ruggedness of the surroundings were completely offset by the subtle beauty of the dimming sky. The Hansen brothers and Jake were in the other SUV leaving Natalie some breathing room with Matt and Nick. Matt drove through the massive processing facilities across the bridge into Dutch Harbor.

"It's pretty isn't it" said Nick startling Natalie from her revelry.

"Very" said Natalie.

"It's even prettier when were out at sea" he continued.

"I guess I'll have to wait a little to see that perspective" said Natalie.

"Not too much longer. How are you feeling about going?" asked Nick.

"I'm a little nervous" said Natalie.

"You'll be fine, we'll all keep you safe" said Nick.

"Yeah, the biggest danger is being worked to death" said Matt.

Natalie smiled but was pretty sure Matt wasn't making a joke. The rest of the car ride was filled with anecdotal stories about Dutch. They ranged from bits of town history to pointing out the street lamp where Matt threw up on a cab driver. By the time they reached the Aleutian Hotel Natalie had lost her bad mood.

Sitting at the table with plates piled with food the men of the Northwestern began discussing fishing strategies. For Natalie it seemed like an exercise in futility because ultimately Sig was going to make his own decision. Although he seemed to take an interest in what the guys were saying, he clearly valued his own experience and knowledge over theirs.

"I think Natalie should get to pick where to drop the first string" said Matt.

"Sure, why not" said Sig. "But she has to christen the stack."

Natalie glanced at Sig her face awash with confusion.

"What does christening involve?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later" said Sig with a smile. "How's your dinner?"

"It's delicious, everything here is wonderful" said Natalie politely.

"The Cornelia Marie and the Time Bandit once had an epic food fight here" said Matt. "They are still both banned from eating here at the same time."

"I would think they would be banned all together" commented Natalie.

"The hotel probably doesn't want to miss out on the money" said Sig.

Natalie just nodded, she had no doubt that their table alone probably spent at least a couple of c-notes on drinks and every other table in the full dining room seemed to be doing the same. Taking another sip of her wine she noticed two guys standing behind Sig talking and pointing to the table. Before she could tell anyone, they'd walked over.

"Sig, how's it going?" said the taller guy.

"Christian, don't tell me you're already going to start harassing us" said Sig. "We aren't even on the boat."

"No camera" said Chris holding his palms up.

"Sit down" said Sig.

Chris and the other guy, Jason, pulled up chairs and joined the table. Natalie quietly observed the new guys, who she assumed they were part of the discovery crew. After all how many people could Sig accuse of harassment.

"Sig are you making a habit of having girls on your boat?" asked Chris.

"She's Edgar's addition" said Sig.

"Oh yeah, I thought Edgar was married" said Chris.

"Don't even start with that shit. She's a therapist" said Edgar.

"That's awesome, if any job needs one of those it's yours" said Chris.

"Hi, I'm Chris" he said extending his hand to Natalie

"Natalie" she replied.

"Nice to meet you, I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of each other over the next few weeks" said Chris.

"Don't count on it, she's taking a page out of the Norman school of silentry" said Edgar.

"Oh please don't. Then you'll become some sort of a challenge to conquer. We have bets every season on who can make Norman talk the most" said Chris.

"Yeah, last year I won" piped Jason.

"Congratulations" said Natalie. "I'm sure it was no small feat."

"It was tough, I worked everyday of opies to get him to say one full sentence on camera, then it was cut from the show" said Jason.

"It will probably be in the next behind the scenes special, so don't lose hope" said Chris.

Norman rolled his eyes but kept silent through the whole exchange. Natalie reached under the table and squeezed his leg in silent mirth. His eyes shifted sideways to catch Natalie's gaze and he gave her a negligible smile. The rest of dinner passed in pleasant banter between the Discovery guys and the Northwestern crew. Natalie just sat back and watched the insults fly, but by the end of the meal she was trading quips and insults with the best of them.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you everyone for your patience regarding this story. I've finally returned to a suitable place to publish from, the lack of internet made it impossible to update. Please read and review.

The ride home from dinner was quiet. Matt, Jake, Nick and Norman had gone out to one of the local bars. Edgar had told Natalie that he wanted her to come back to the boat with him. He of course hadn't bothered to give her any details and Natalie had assumed he needed a treatment for the slipped disc in his back. Sig was driving and the mood in the car was kind of tense. No one spoke for most of the trip, then as if sensing the silence was becoming oppressive Sig asked Edgar a question.

"So, what do you think about pulling out some of the old maps and going a little off the grid this year?" he asked.

"How far off the grid?" asked Edgar warily.

Traditionally when the Northwestern attempted to go it's own way it was either a great success of a complete bomb. There was no middle ground. Edgar considered the pain he was in most of the time and grimaced at the thought of long hours pulling empty pots as they followed Captain Ahab towards his white whale.

"I was thinking just a little farther north than we usually go, you know really take it to the edge" said Sig.

The excitement in Sig's voice was recognized by everyone in the car. What Natalie took to be a positive, Edgar realized would be nothing but pain and anguish.

"Whatever you want to do" replied Edgar. "You're the captain."

"You're right, but I like to get the input of the crew...occasionally" said Sig.

"What do you think Natalie?" asked Sig.

"I have no opinion" said Natalie.

"I thought you were in a better mood" said Sig.

"I am, but I can't tell you my opinion because I don't have one. I've never been on a fishing boat, I don't know what going off the grid means to you" said Natalie. "I defer to those with more experience."

"I guess that's fair" said Sig.

The dock loomed in the distance. Sig slowed as they began to drive across the wooden boards. They passed a huge processing barge and Natalie could see people standing outside smoking. They were so far up she could only make out their silhouettes and the glowing cherries of their cigarettes.

"What does that boat do?" asked Natalie.

"It's a processor" answered Sig.

"Ok, but what does it do specifically" said Natalie.

"It takes the crab when we offload, cleans it, cooks it, freezes it and packages it" said Sig. "The floating processors are vital in the chain of getting crab from the ocean to the table."

"How many people work on one?" asked Natalie.

"Hundreds, probably more" said Sig.

"And they live at the docks?" asked Natalie.

"No, they usually go near where the fishing is taking place and allow the boats to tie up to the side and offload their catch while still out to sea" said Sig.

"That's crazy" said Natalie.

"It's a huge industry" said Sig proudly.

"Amazing" said Natalie to herself.

They arrived back at the Northwestern and Natalie climbed out of the car and onto the boat. She'd definitely improved her ability to get on deck without falling. Sig and Edgar both mentioned her skillfulness. Natalie smiled at the compliment and walked back to her stateroom feeling a glow of accomplishment.

"Well that cheered her up" said Sig.

"Yep" replied Edgar. "Antha wants me to call her so she can talk to Natalie."

"Oh yeah? Why?" asked Sig.

"Who knows? Girls stuff probably" said Edgar with a shrug.

Natalie was laying in her bunk listening to her ipod when Edgar walked in. He was holding a cell phone out to her. Pulling out her earplugs she took the phone and was delighted to hear Samantha's voice.

"Hi Antha" she said happily.

"Hi Nat, how's it going?" asked Samantha.

"It's ok" said Natalie.

"Is Edgar standing there staring at you?" asked Samantha.

"No, he just handed me the phone and walked out" said Natalie.

"Then are you alone?" asked Samantha.

"Yeah, the other guys are out" replied Natalie.

"Then you can be honest. How's it going? Are they driving you bananas yet?" asked Samantha.

"It's kind of hard" said Natalie.

"I know. I've been there" said Samantha.

"It's a hard adjustment, they are so" Natalie searched her brain for an appropriate adjective but came up empty.

"They're idiotic boys" said Samantha helpfully. "If you treat them like little boys then what they say and do won't be so offensive."

"I'll try that" said Natalie.

"Trust me, it will help" said Samantha. "At least it helped me."

"You must have done more than that because you actually married one" said Natalie.

"Yes, well they can be charming at times" said Samantha.

"I'll have to take your word for it because I've seen no example of that thus far" said Natalie.

"Good luck sister" said Samantha. "Call me anytime, Edgar will show you how to use the SAT phone."

"Roger" said Natalie.

"Wow, you're learning already" said Samantha with a laugh.

Natalie hung up the phone and went in search of Edgar.

Edgar and Sig were in the wheelhouse looking at some maps that looked like Columbus himself may have used them. The edges were crumbling in their hands and they seemed to be disintegrating before Natalie's eyes.

"I just think it's a long way to go on untested grounds" said Edgar.

"They aren't untested. Dad got plenty of numbers when he fished there" countered Sig.

"That was 30 years ago, lets be realistic. We'll probably go out there and get nothing. It will waste fuel and hours on a pipe dream" said Edgar.

"I want to try it, if we get nothing will pull up stakes and head back to the tried and true" said Sig.

"Why the hell do you even ask me my opinion if you are just going to do what you want anyway" said Edgar angrily.

"I take your opinion seriously but in this case I'm going with my gut" said Sig.

"Your gut sucks" said Edgar pushing past Natalie as he walked out of the room.

"Well that went well" said Sig rubbing his temple.

Natalie walked over to his hunched form and lightly touched his arm.

"Sit down. I can probably get rid of the headache" said Natalie.

Sig reluctantly sat on the bench seat and allowed Natalie to stand in front of him. She placed her fingers softly on his forehead and rubbed small circles out towards the edge of his hairline. The touch was soft and soothing and before Sig could stop himself he closed his eyes and moaned. Sig had always experienced tension headaches, he even remembered getting them as a child before tests. The only way he'd been able to relieve the pain was through medication. Natalie's touch was melting the pain away, the cooling touch of her fingers seemed to draw out the tension leaving nothing but a profound sense of relaxation. Natalie watched her patient for the standard cues of relief, slowed breathing, relaxation of muscles and the tell tale sigh. She'd received all three signs the moment she'd touched Sig. She smiled internally, proud that her touch worked just as well on Sig as it did on Edgar. The Hansen brothers seemed to have an almost instinctive knowledge of how to draw as much relaxation as could be taken from healing touch. To Natalie it seemed as if they felt the tranquility and had an intrinsic need to pull every ounce out as fast as possible just in case it stopped suddenly. She attributed it to the life they led while fishing. It was always moving, they dealt only in extremes, highest highs and lowest lows all on little to no sleep. Exhaustion causing their bodies and spirits to work too hard leaving them weakened shells. The time off between seasons should be a time to replenish what is lost or given up yet it's never completely refilled. So each season there is a little less in the tank to start out with and it reaches empty earlier and earlier. Natalie stopped her internal musings when she realized that Sig was almost asleep. Deciding that he could probably use the rest she guided him to his stateroom. Once there she casually tucked him into bed, leaving him completely dressed only removing his shoes.

Jake, Norman, Nick and Matt stumbled back to the boat in the early hours of the morning. They'd closed down the bar and were feeling no pain. The TIme Bandit crew had been out and the two crews had swapped stories while they drank together. The news of Natalie's arrival was already filtering through the fleet. The Northwestern was now known as the cushiest boat in the fleet. Jonathan had said the massage therapist had put even their sauna to shame. He vowed to win her over to the dark side if he got the chance. She'd been the topic of conversation for most of the night. Her comings and goings were discussed in great detail as well as most of her physical characteristics. A promise had been extracted from the Northwestern guys that they would bring Natalie out the following night to the Time Bandits annual costume pub crawl. Norman reluctantly agreed hoping that Natalie wouldn't be too bothered by the idea. Finally back on the boat the guys stumbled into the galley, hungry for a late night snack. Natalie was sitting in the corner braiding her hair. Once again she was listening to something on her ipod therefore completely unaware of the guys presence, until Jake tripped over a case of apples left on the floor and fell. Natalie's head snapped up and for a moment her eyes were wide with fear.

"Sorry to scare you" said Norman. "We thought you'd be asleep."

"I couldn't sleep, there are too many weird sounds" said Natalie.

She separated another section of hair and braided it.

"That's an interesting hair style" said Matt.

"It helps me to keep calm" said Natalie.

"What scared you?" asked Nick.

"I don't know, it's a weird sound, like something is breaking or cracking" said Natalie. "Every time I heard it I thought we were going to sink."

"Weird. Let's find out what it is" said Norman.

He took Natalie's hand and led her to the stateroom they shared with Edgar.

As they walked into the room the smell of eucalyptus filled the air. Norman sniffed before turning a questioning look at Edgar's sleeping form. He was face down on his bunk in just pajama bottoms. Norman's questioning look shifted from Edgar to Natalie.

"I gave him a massage" explained Natalie. "The smell is just the oil I used. Does it bother you?"

"No, it's a nice change from dirty sock and ass that the room usually smells like" said Norman.

Natalie wrinkled her nose at the thought and Norman chuckled at the horrified look on her face. As he was laughing Natalie froze her body going rigid. Norman stopped what he was doing and listened. It was faint but he heard the distinct sound of the ropes tightening.

"Is that the noise?" he asked.

"Yes, what is it?" asked Natalie.

"I'll show you" said Norman.

He led Natalie out to the bow of the boat. It was bobbing up and down in the gentle lapping waves of the harbor. Outside the noise was louder and Natalie became slightly skittish.

Sensing her concern Norman grabbed her hand.

"It's just the ropes" he said pointing to the bow lines.

"Why does it sound like wood breaking?" asked Natalie.

"Honestly, it doesn't sound like that to me, but that's probably because I know it's rope. The rope is being pushed and pulled by the tide, it's nothing to be worried about" said Norman reassuringly. "They are made to expand and contract even in cold weather. The ropes are perfectly safe."

Natalie nodded. The boat shifted again and the ropes emitted the cracking sound causing Natalie to squeeze Norman's hand. Norman shook his head and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Lets go back inside, it's late and Sig will probably have us up early loading pots" said Norman.

"He'll probably sleep in a little" said Natalie.

"Why do you say that?" asked Norman.

"Because I helped him with a tension headache and he was fast asleep when I left him. Which seems like something none of you guys do very often" said Natalie.

"Not out here" said Norman.

"Well with noises like the ropes I'm not surprised" said Natalie.

"It's not the noises that keep us from getting a good nights sleep, it's constant work" said Norman.

There is a certain order which things need to be done on a crab boat for maximum efficiency. The crew of the Northwestern had prepped for Red Crab season so many times that this order was completely ingrained in the psyches. Natalie watched in amazement as the ballet of loading bait and pots went on around her. She stayed as far out of the way as possible in order to avoid being crushed by flying pots. The first layer of pots were on the deck and Sig ordered those to be patched before a second layer was added. Natalie planned to keep herself far away from the action but Edgar had a different idea.

"Come over here, I want to teach you something" said Edgar.

Natalie walked over to Edgar and got a quick lesson in repairing holes in the pots. Her small deft fingers were ideal for the task and before long she was going faster than the guys. Sig watched her from the camera in the wheelhouse and because she was going so quick he came down to do some quality control.

"Hey Natalie, lets just check your work" he said. "Just because you can go fastest doesn't mean it's the best."

"Check all you want, there is nothing wrong with my work" said Natalie hotly.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch" began Sig. "Any hole in a pot has the potential for us to lose serious money. I check everyone's work."

"Oh yeah?" said Natalie

"Yep, he likes to know who he can yell at when the pot comes out empty" said Jake.

Sig ran his hand over the pot Natalie had just strung, he couldn't even tell where the patch job started. She'd done a perfect job.

"Well?" prompted Natalie.

"It's fine, keep up the good work" said Sig.

"Such glowing praise" snarked Natalie.

Sig smirked and walked back up the wheelhouse leaving everyone on deck to their work. A few hours later a white van drove up to the Northwestern.

"Oh no, let the bedlam begin" said Edgar.

"What's going on?" asked Natalie.

"That is the Discovery crew, they are going to rig the boat for the show" said Edgar.

"What does that mean?" asked Natalie.

"It means we are going to have 5 extra guys on deck rigging electrical wiring and cameras all over the place" said Edgar.

"How are you going to stack more pots on with them rigging all their gear?" asked Natalie.

"Very carefully" said Edgar.

The next 10 hours were completely chaotic. Natalie moved off the deck and up to the wheelhouse for her own safety. She'd helped as long as she could before she just became another thing to stumble over. There were far too many people on the crowded Northwestern deck. She sat with Sig watching Chris rig the captain camera. Sig took turns alternating between annoyed and excited.

"So what are you going to dress up as tonight?" asked Chris.

"What are you talking about? What would I be dressing up for?" asked Natalie.

"The Time Bandit always has a Halloween pub crawl" said Chris.

"It's October 13th, Halloween isn't for another 18 days" said Natalie.

"They do it now because they are usually out at sea when the holiday actually rolls around" explained Chris.

"I didn't know I was invited" said Natalie.

"Everyone's invited" said Chris.

"Are you going?" said Natalie to Sig.

"Sure, why not" said Sig.

"What are you going to dress up as?" asked Natalie.

"Captain Sig" replied Sig.

"How original" said Natalie disdainfully.

"Oh yeah, well lets see what you end up dressing up as" said Sig.

Natalie stood abruptly and started towards the wheelhouse door.

"Hey, where are you going?" called Sig.

"I need to work on my costume" replied Natalie.

Natalie hopped back on deck a few hours later, her return wasn't noticed by anyone. The work on deck had continued nonstop after she left and was still going strong. She took two steps and promptly stumbled over a huge coil of wires.

"Watch you step" said one of the Discovery guys.

"Thanks, I'll try" said Natalie.

She picked her way across the deck being careful to watch where she was stepping. Since her head was down she missed the interested looks the crew was giving her.

"Natalie, what's in the bag?" asked Matt.

"My costume for tonight" replied Natalie.

She picked up her head to smile at Matt and once again tripped over a camera.

"Oh shit" she replied. "Sorry about that, this place is a death trap."

"No problem, really that's not the worst that's going to happen to that camera" replied Chris.

Natalie looked at all the work which had been done on the boat. Another layer of pots had been loaded and the deck was strewn with equipment. Cameras were mounted on most of the higher structures of the boat and the rigging equipment was taped to the deck. There was a row of camera lined up on deck in different housings. Chris noticed where Natalie was looking and smiled sadly.

"You know most of those cameras are going to be ruined before the trip is over" said Chris.

"That's got to be expensive" said Natalie.

"Very, but it's worth it" said Chris.

"It must be" said Natalie.

"So, did you get a costume for tonight?" asked Chris.

"Yes. Which was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be" said Natalie.

"Yeah Dutch Harbor isn't really known for it's variety of shopping options" said Chris.

"No kidding, I can't believe I couldn't find a decent pair of heels in this whole city" lamented Natalie.

"I think the word city is maybe being a little generous" said Chris.

"You're right. I guess I'll have to say town, outpost, hamlet" said Natalie.

"Either of those are probably an accurate description" said Chris.

"Well I'm off to get ready" said Natalie with a wink.

"Oh I can't wait to see what you're going to be" said Chris.

Natalie spent the better part of the evening sewing her costume with a tiny kit. By the time the guys were finishing up on deck she was pretty much done. Sliding into the kitchen between a huge roll of wire and a stack of tapes she started to make dinner. Her plan was to make some chili but she noticed a couple of chickens out on the counter and realized that a suggestion had been made about what was for dinner. Washing her hands she got to work. The chickens were in the oven in less than 10 minutes and she started to work on the sides. The camera guys came in and out of the galley grabbing wires and cameras. The smell of roast chicken drew everyone into the galley a few minutes before the food was ready. The flurry of activity came to a grinding halt when the Natalie announced dinner was ready. Everyone sat around the small table or stood at the counter. The hard work of the day had given everyone a tremendous appetite and before everyone knew it the platters were empty. Natalie went to get into her costume while the guys did the dishes.

She reappeared in the galley half and hour later and was unrecognizable to the guys. Her hair was curled and she had glittery make up on. She was dressed in a short black dress with a small white apron, a feather duster completed her costume.

"Wow" said Jake.

"You can dust my feather anytime" said Chris.

"That is the lamest pick up line I've ever heard" said Natalie.

"So far. Just wait until you go out in that" said Sig.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders and went to grab her coat. As she reached up to remove it from the hook the skirt raised giving everyone a great view of her bloomers.

"You can't go out in that" said Sig suddenly.

Natalie turned around at the pronouncement. Everyone else in the galley looked at Sig in surprise. His outburst was completely out of character and unexpected.

"She'll be fine" said Matt. "We'll keep an eye on her."

"We better" said Sig.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter is a little shorter, but I wanted to update. Thanks for reading.

The bar was really crowded and Natalie assumed that every single human being of drinking age or slightly below was currently roaming the streets of Dutch Harbor. Her costume was a huge hit, she'd been bought more drinks than she could count. Her head was swimming slightly as the guy next to her set a shot of murky liquid in front of her. She smiled and clinked her glass with his before pretending to drink. Once the guy turned away she passed the drink off to Jake.

"Another one?" he said in surprise.

"I know. You are going to need someone to carry you back to the boat later" said Natalie.

"Wouldn't be the first time" said Jake with a wink.

Natalie wove her way through the crowd towards the raucous table of fisherman. She moved quickly trying to avoid any more pinches. She was convinced her bottom was going to be permanently bruised.

The guys from the Time Bandit had been fashionably late but were catching up quickly. The bottle of Crown Royal on the table was almost empty and Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand were currently telling quite a fish story if their arm movements were any indication. Sig stood as soon as Natalie neared the table and helped her slide in between himself and Norman. They'd learned the hard way the best way to keep Natalie from wandering off or being abducted was to keep her with one of the crew members at all times. At the first bar someone had asked her to dance and the next thing they saw was here being pulled away towards the front door. Of course Natalie had assured them that the guy had just wanted to get some fresh air and she'd agreed to accompany him, but they were less than convinced of the guys noble intentions.

"Ok Natalie, your shot" yelled Scotty.

"No thanks, someone just bought me one at the bar" replied Natalie.

"What was it?" asked Norman.

"I don't know" said Natalie.

"Are you crazy, don't drink anything some random person gives you" said Sig in shock.

"I didn't. Jake did" said Natalie.

"How many shots did you give him?" asked Norman.

"I kind of lost count" said Natalie.

"Next time we'll send someone else with you, Jake's not looking too hot" he continued.

Jake was listing slightly while he stood next to the table.

"Agreed" said Natalie.

Natalie tried her best to follow all of the conversations but with everyone talking over each other it was impossible. Deciding she'd just pick one person to listen to she chose Jonathan, if only because he seemed to be the loudest. She picked up his story in mid sentence.

"...and so the lady went completely insane. Throwing shit around the office and cursing to high heaven. It turns out that we'd exceeded the daily quota for sports fishing and she was going to have to pay a fine. And I say this is fucking Mexico just tell me who I have to bribe."

The table irrupted into laughter and Natalie smiled politely. She supposed she'd missed the interesting part of the story or at least build up to the punch line.

The stories continued and as people got up to get more drinks at the bar Jonathan slowly made his way around the table until he was eventually sitting right next to Natalie. He'd waited patiently all night to get this close to her, he'd thought she didn't really have an interest in him, however in the past hour she seemed to be hanging on every word that came out of his mouth.

"Your costume is great" said Jonathan.

"Thanks, yours too" replied Natalie pointing to his cowboy hat and polished star.

"Just call me sheriff Jonathan."

"Alright sheriff" said Natalie with a wink.

"So have you adjusted to life on a boat yet?" asked Jonathan. "Sig tells me you didn't get sea sick or anything on the way up."

"Well the passage up here was pretty calm, I'm sure the real seasickness will happen while the boat is out fishing" said Natalie.

"At least you have a good attitude about it" said Jonathan.

"Yeah, I guess" said Natalie.

Natalie noticed movement from her left in her peripheral vision she could see Sig getting out of the booth.

"Jon, keep an eye on the maid for me. I gotta hit the head" said Sig.

"Roger" said Jonathan.

This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

"So Natalie, what do you like to do for fun?" asked Jonathan.

"Um, I like to listen to music and read" said Natalie.

"Do you like saunas?" asked Jonathan.

"Sure, they are great for sweating out toxins" said Natalie.

"I know a great place where you can take a sauna" said Jonathan.

"Oh yeah? Where?" asked Natalie.

"I'll show you" said Jonathan.

A few minutes later the table where the group had been was empty.

Sig stood at the bar shooting the shit with one of the old timers. Sig casually glanced back at the table and smiled. The guys were still there. He turned back and continued his chat with the old sea dog. A while later the band started to play and a few of the highliner crews started buying everyone shots. Sig wanted to make sure Natalie was keeping her drinks in check and walked back to the table to check on her. His surprise was evident when he walked over to see every member of the Time Bandit crew except one.

"Where Natalie?" asked Sig.

"Not sure" replied Eddie.

"Where's Jonathan?" asked Sig.

"Bathroom maybe? We went out for a smoke and when we got back the table was empty. He can't have gone far though, there's still Crown in the bottle" said Andy.

Sig just nodded. He was seething. Before they'd arrived at the bar he'd had a long conversation about how dangerous Dutch Harbor could be for a girl like Natalie. He'd told her to stay with a crew member at all time, obviously she hadn't listened. Sig planned to round up the rest of the guys before he set out on a recovery mission. The first people he found were his brothers.

"Hey, Natalie is gone" said Sig.

"Again? We should put a bell on her or something" said Edgar.

"Right. I'm sure she'd really appreciate that" said Norman.

"I think it's a good idea. Or a better idea would be a leash" said Sig.

"Who was suppose to go with her?" asked Norman.

"No one, she was at the table when I left" said Sig.

"Sig, honestly she's a grown woman who can take care of herself. I'm sure she's fine" said Edgar.

"Yeah, just like she was fine at the first place" said Sig.

"Fine, go look for her. Take Norman with you or go by yourself. I'm almost done for the night so I'll see you back on the boat" said Edgar before walking away.

Sig found the other guys and they all shared Edgar's attitude that Natalie could take care of herself.

Sig found himself boarding the Time Bandit without permission, his goat was to find Jonathan and convince him to help in the search for Natalie. He dropped onto the deck and immediately noticed a light in the sauna. Walking towards it he saw Jonathan's trademark jacket on the deck. Debating whether he wanted to interrupt what was probably a romantic interlude he hesitated. Deciding that Natalie was more important than whoever Jonathan was currently with he knocked on the door.

"What?" said Jonathan cracking the door.

"Sorry to interrupt. I need your help. Natalie is missing" said Sig.

"I'm sure she's fine" said Jonathan, his eyes falling to the side.

"I want to make sure. I thought of all the people you'd be willing to help me. I know you are a sucker for a damsel in distress" said Sig.

"She's fine" said Jonathan.

"How the hell do you know?" barked Sig. "She could be at some slimy guys mercy."

Jonathan took a deep breath and opened the sauna door wider revealing Natalie. She was sitting in the sauna in her bra and underwear.

"You mother fucker" said Sig pulling Jonathan out of the doorway. "What the fuck do you think you are doing with her."

"Nothing, we are sitting in the sauna" said Jonathan. "Who do you think you are her fucking father?"

Sig didn't say anything in response, he just pushed passed Jonathan into the sauna.

"Hi Sig" said Natalie cheerfully.

Sig grabbed her by the wrist and wrangled her to her feet.

"Ow you're hurting me" said Natalie.

"You are coming with me" said Sig.

"Why? What's going on?" asked Natalie trying to pull away from Sig.

"I don't know what kind of slut you think you are, but you were suppose to stay with a crew member at all times" barked Sig.

"I did, Jonathan is a crew member" said Natalie.

Sig dragged her out of the sauna where he was stopped by Jonathan's arm in his chest.

"You either leave her where she is or we are going to get into it" said Jonathan.

"Go get a hooker" said Sig.

"That's not what I'm after and she's not going with you when you are like this" said Jonathan.

"She is part of my boat, my crew. She belongs to me" said Sig.

Both Jonathan and Natalie were struck silent by this statement. Sig even in his haze of anger realized he crossed a line.

"Fine, keep her" said Sig.

He stormed off the deck and disappeared into the growing mist. Jonathan and Natalie watched his exit in stunned silence.

"Are you ok? asked Jonathan after a moment.

"Yeah, I guess" said Natalie.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" asked Jonathan.

"Honestly, I'd like to fly home at this exact moment" said Natalie.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble but the planes don't fly out of here at night" said Jonathan.

"Hmph, why am I not surprised" said Natalie.

"Stay here, you can decide what you want to do in the morning" said Jonathan.

"No, I think I should go back" said Natalie.

"Well I can't fault you for being loyal" said Jonathan. "He's pretty upset, do you think you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going back to the boat, chances are he's not" said Natalie.

"Well if you want to fuck with him, I'll be happy to say that I never saw you and that you were never on this boat" said Jonathan.

Natalie smiled and shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, but thank you" she said.

"Can I at least walk you back?" asked Jonathan.

"Sure, at least until I get on the Northwestern" said Natalie.

Sig woke the next morning with a killer headache. He'd gone back to the bar and told the rest of the guys what Natalie had done. Her treason had been met with disbelief and Sig had drank more than he planned. He rolled over and realized that he hadn't even made it to his stateroom, he was sleeping on the galley bench seat. As he cracked his eyes open he saw a fleeting image of Natalie rush past him. His stomach protested as he sat up to see if she was real or just a figment of his conscience. The movement proved to be too much and he promptly shut his eyes and fell back on the bench to prevent himself from throwing up.

"You don't look too good" said a familiar voice.

Sig cracked his eyes to see Natalie standing over him with a bottle of water. He reached blindly for the bottle missing it by a mile.

"Looks like you're still drunk" said Natalie.

She grabbed his hand and placed the bottle against his palm, curling his fingers around it ensuring that it was in his grip.

"Why are you here?" slurred Sig.

"Because I work here" replied Natalie.

Sig decided that his head couldn't take the banter and quickly drank a few sips of the water before laying back on the bench. The sounds of Natalie moving about in the kitchen were very comforting. However once the other sounds began to filter into his consciousness he realized that he was asleep aboard his own vessel in the middle of prepping for king crab. He struggled to sit up.

"Don't bother" chimed Natalie. "The last two times you've tried to do that you've barfed all over the galley."

Sig had no recollections of these other two attempts so he sallied forth with his current action, no sooner than he got vertical did he throw up again before falling back onto the bench.

"Asshole" muttered Natalie before grabbing a bucket.

A few hours later Sig again regained consciousness. This time the voices of his crew surrounded him like a suffocating cloth. He struggled for breath and suddenly sat up. A bucket was immediately thrust under his chin and when he pushed it away it was immediately returned to its' spot.

"Don't let him barf on the floor again" called a hazy voice in the distance.

Sig attempted to say I'm fine, but it came out as gobbledygook.

"What did he drink last night" asked Edgar.

"A lot" replied Matt. "He was like a man possessed."

"What about?" asked Edgar.

Everyone went silent and a few eyes drifted towards the kitchen where everyone was surprised to see no one. Natalie had slipped up the wheelhouse as soon as Edgar began to ask questions.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, they were great Christmas presents.

Edgar sighed and walked up the stairs towards the wheelhouse. He couldn't believe the story Sig had told him about Natalie. She just didn't seem like the type to hop into bed with anyone, much less one of the other captains. He needed to get her side of the story before passing judgement. Even the guys hadn't really believed Sig's story. They'd been on the boat when Natalie had returned fully dressed and other than mildly frizzy hair she looked completely put together. She'd told them she'd been sitting in the sauna with Jonathan hearing all about life on the Time Bandit when Sig had burst in and tried to drag her back to the Northwestern. Edgar hadn't had a hard time imagining Sig doing that, he'd seen him do similar things to a fair number of unruly guys over the course of their fishing careers. But to a woman, especially a woman who Edgar thought Sig respected seemed unbelievable. His eyes scanned the wheelhouse and he was unnerved at what he saw, nothing. Natalie was no where to be found. He began to walk back downstairs but hesitated. Turning back to the door to the deck he opened it and was mildly surprised to see Natalie sitting on the platform her feet dangling over the edge, looking like a small child.

"Hi" he said.

"Hey" said Natalie glumly. "So what's the verdict? Should I pack my stuff?"

"No. You aren't getting out that easy" said Edgar with a smile.

Natalie turned her head and smiled a sad smile.

"What happened?" asked Edgar.

"I don't know. I went with Jonathan to check out the sauna. We were just in there talking and suddenly here comes Sig acting like a jealous husband" said Natalie. "I swear Edgar, nothing happened and nothing was going to happen."

"Why did you go with him in the first place?" asked Edgar.

"Sig said to stay with a crew member, then he left Jonathan in charge of me at the table, I assumed it would be fine to go with him so I did" explained Natalie.

"You should have told someone" said Edgar.

"How? Leave a note? Asked someone to go into the bathroom to tell my dad where I was going? I'm an adult I don't need anyone's permission to do anything" snapped Natalie.

"He was just worried about you" began Edgar.

"No he wasn't" said Natalie cutting him off. "Whatever it was it was well beyond concern. He scared me."

Edgar grimaced, he wasn't sure Natalie would even want to stay on the boat after what happened.

"He thinks you slept with Jonathan" said Edgar.

"I didn't, but who cares if I had. It's none of his business" said Natalie. "He can't possibly be that interested in the personal lives of everyone on this boat."

Edgar studiously ignored meeting Natalie's gaze. Sig was exactly that type of person, you were either on board with his completely type A tyranny or you got off the boat.

"Really? Well that would have been something nice to know prior to my arrival" said Natalie.

"I'll talk to him about it" said Edgar hesitantly.

"No, it's fine. I can toe the line as needed to keep the peace on the boat. After all that's what I was hired to do" said Natalie.

Edgar released the breath he'd been holding.

"Are you ready to come in?" he asked before starting down the stairs.

"No" said Natalie.

"Ok, I'll see you later" said Edgar.

Natalie watched him walk down the stairs before shifting her gaze to the open ocean. Even through the fleet of boats she could see the opening of the harbor and the miles of water beyond.

"I only have to make it out there and back a few times before I can go home" she said to herself. "How bad can it be."

"Those are going to be some famous last words" said Nick from the bottom of the stairs.

"Probably" said Natalie not bothering to look down at him.

"Hey I'm going in to town to pick up a few last minute items, you want to come?" he asked.

"I probably have to get permission from the dictator" said Natalie.

"I told Edgar I'd take you. He will pass on the message once Sig is willing to listen" said Nick.

"In that case I'd love to go" said Natalie.

The last of the supplies were loaded onto the boat and the lines were ready to be cast. Natalie sat in the wheelhouse and watched the guys on the bow wait for the signal to pull in the buoys. The feeling on the boat had been tense since the Halloween incident. Natalie and Sig had maybe said 10 words to each other, to keep the peace they'd settled into ignoring each other. The decision had been made to fish old family grounds well to the north of the rest of the fleet. As the Northwestern pulled away from the dock they saw that most of the other boats were still tying down their stacks.

"Why aren't the other boats leaving?" asked Natalie.

"Because the season doesn't start for another 2 days, we have a long way to go to get to where we're fishing" said Sig.

"How long?" asked Natalie.

"A two day steam" answered Sig.

Natalie nodded and went back to staring out the window at the other boats. Her head distinctly turned away when they passed the Time Bandit. Sig noted the movement out of the corner of his eye. They'd just had the longest conversation yet and he didn't want to break the mood.

"What's for dinner?" he asked.

"I have a ham cooking in apple cider" said Natalie.

"Sounds tasty" said Sig.

Natalie turned to stare at Sig, who in turn studiously studied one of the dials on the panel in front of him until he felt her eyes move off of him. They were passing the last clutch of boats before they exited the safety of the harbor. Movement on one of the boats caught Natalie's eye.

"Oh my God, there's a dog on that boat" she announced.

Sig turned to see what she was looking at and confirmed that there was, what looked like, a dalmatian on the bow of one of the fishing boats.

"Why don't you have a dog?" asked Natalie teasingly.

Sig stared at her for a moment before cracking a smile.

"Do you want the reasons in alphabetical order or in order of annoyance" said Sig. "Besides if I got one, guess who would be in charge of it?"

"Who?" asked Natalie.

"You" said Sig.

"Why would I be in charge? I'm only here for a little while, certainly man's best friend wouldn't be coming home with me after the trip" said Natalie.

"I wouldn't get a dog because I'd hate to be responsible for another life if something were to happened" said Sig seriously.

Natalie sat quietly for a moment, absorbing Sig's statement.

"Is that why you were so concerned about where I was?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, you are my" began Sig.

Natalie cringed at what she expected the next word would be.

"...responsibility" finished Sig.

Natalie released her breath and nodded.

"I guess I didn't realize that the crew mentality followed everyone off the boat" said Natalie.

"From the second we leave home everyones' safely and security is my job" said Sig. "On the boat or off until they are back safe at home."

"I'm sorry I went off with Jonathan" said Natalie.

"Thank you" said Sig.

Natalie fought to keep her mouth from dropping open, she'd expected a reciprocal apology. After a moment she got up to go check on her ham. She was a few steps from the stairs when she heard Sig mumble something.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you on the Time Bandit. It was completely out of line" said Sig.

"Thank you" said Natalie.

The steam north was fairly uneventful the crew killed time banking sleep and playing xbox. Natalie discovered she had a special skill for playing Call of Duty which both amazed and annoyed the guys. Dinners were leisurely as everyone enjoyed the calm before the work really began. The only person who was stressed was Sig, his willingness to gamble on this far flung corner of ocean was weighing heavily on his mind. What would normally be a 16 hour steam to the crab grounds was pushing 32 hours. The extra time gave the crew more rest and gave Sig more time to brood. Chris had been listening to a constant monologue about how the fishing could go either way. Natalie had started to take small snacks of food up to Sig since he refused to get out of his chair. He'd been slowly lecturing her of how the schedule would work once fishing started. It seemed to her that the guys would work basically 20 hours a day taking breaks only for meals.

"Ok, they get 3 squares a day" lectured Sig. "We take a break or a run between strings and they can eat. They should know when a string is almost done but I'll let you know when you can expect the breaks."

"Wait, squares of what?" asked Natalie.

"Square meals, you know plenty of protein and starch, a complete meal" said Sig.

"Right, sorry the word square threw me. I thought maybe they got a square of chocolate or something" said Natalie with a smile.

"Keep them away from my chocolate" said Sig.

"Ok" said Natalie wondering if he was joking or not.

Sig went over the fishing strategy for the camera and Chris asked a few questions to lead the discussion towards Sig's reasoning for bring the crew out to untested grounds.

"Honestly, it's a hunch, a gamble on somewhere that my father was so successful. I suppose it's an homage to him" said Sig.

Natalie slipped out of the wheelhouse. She said a little prayer and crossed her fingers that Sig's gamble would work out, clearly it was about more than just filling the boat it was personal.

Natalie lay in her bunk letting the rock of the boat lull her to sleep. Sig expected to arrive at the crab grounds in less than 6 hours. The rest of the guys were all tucked in and Sig had advised Natalie to try to get some rest because once the machine started going there would be no rest for anyone. She was making a mental to do list when the lull of the boat finally rocked her to sleep. Her arm dipped down over the side of the bunk. The movement of the boat caused her hand to hit against the wall over Norman's head. He woke at the sound and his eyes focused on the delicate hand waving in front of his face. His first instinct was the grab it, but instead he just watched it rock back and forth. He couldn't help but think about how small it was, he bet he could wrap his hand around it twice.

"Norm, are you going to stop tapping of whatever the fuck you are doing up there so we can get some sleep" said Edgar's sleep roughened voice.

"It's Natalie's hand hitting the wall" answered Norman.

"Well move it" said Edgar.

"Fine" said Norman.

He slowly slipped his hand under Natalie's and lifted it slightly. It was so soft that Norman took a moment to caress it before tucking it under her cheek.

"If you wanted to hold my hand all you had to do was ask" muttered Natalie.

"Yes, well you're waking up Edgar" said Norman.

"God forbid that happens" said Natalie

"Too late" muttered Edgar.

"Sorry. What exactly was I doing?" whispered Natalie.

"Your little hand was banging against the wall" explained Norman.

"Was it loud? I can't even sleep without hearing sounds that make me think this boat is sinking and my hand hitting the wall wakes you up" said Natalie with a chuckle.

"Well all the sounds you hear I'm use to, but the knocking wasn't" said Norman.

"Makes sense. Sorry I woke you up" said Natalie.

"It's ok" said Norman.

"Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?" asked Natalie.

"No thanks, I've heard you sing" said Norman.

"Jerk" said Natalie as she swung her pillow down into Norman's bunk.

"You missed me by a mile" said Norman.

Natalie leaned over her bunk in order to see her target. Norman sensing her next move grabbed her by the arms and flipped her onto his bunk. Her scream woke up Edgar who popped out of bed and stood glowering at Norman's bunk.

"What the fuck" he said.

"It's his/her fault" began the guilty pair.

Edgar picked up the pillow from his bunk and soundly smacked Norman on the head. Norman retaliated immediately and the entire situation deteriorated until all three of the participants were panting and laughing on the floor.

"Oh God, I can't catch my breath" said Natalie.

"Are you hurt?" asked Norman.

"No, why?" responded Natalie.

"Because you're crying" said Norman.

"Laughing too hard, eyes watering" snorted Natalie.

"Crap, we need to get some rest. Sig's going to call us in a few hours" said Edgar.

"Ok captain bring down" said Natalie.

She began climbing into bed and Edgar took the opportunity to smack her ass. She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"That was a freebee, don't think you are ever going to be allowed to do that again" said Natalie.

"Duly noted" said Edgar.

The pots seemed to be flying off the deck as the crew worked to launch them in rough weather. Sig's finger fluttered over the buzzer as he watched the weather, he didn't want to launch a pot while a wave broke over the side. Natalie watched the increasingly violent weather through the tiny galley window. Dinner was ready and she was keeping it warm until the crew finished the string. The last 24 hours had been spent working to get the gear in the water before a storm hit the grounds. The storm was already upon them, but the last of the pots still needed to be dropped into the water. Natalie watched the crew struggle to get the pots baited and dropped as quickly as possible. Deciding she'd seen enough she shrugged on a rain slicker and headed outside. The moment she stepped on deck the adrenaline of the crew was palpable. She slid over to Jake at the bait table.

"Hey, let me help" said Natalie.

"What the hell are you wearing?" asked Jake.

"I put a rain jacket on" said Natalie.

"Yeah, great, but you have shorts on and slippers" said Jake gesturing to the lower half of her body.

"So what, do you want my help or not?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, but you can't work out here wearing that, you'll get hurt" said Jake.

As if illustrating his point a wave hit the boat throwing Natalie into the bait table.

"Are you ok?" asked Jake.

"Yes, just a bruise" said Natalie.

"Seriously, either find some gear or get out of here" said Jake.

"Fine, but don't say I never tried to help" said Natalie.

The moment she walked inside she heard the Sig yelling from the wheelhouse. Natalie scurried up the stairs with a fresh cup of coffee in her hands.

"Sorry, just out for a moment" she said setting the cup on the console.

"What the fuck were you doing out there?" asked Sig.

"Trying to help" said Natalie. "The weather is going to shit, they need an extra set of hands."

"I agree, but you aren't the person to help" said Sig.

"I think I can help" said Natalie.

"Look what happened to your slippers" commented Sig.

Natalie looked down and noticed her slipper were sopping wet.

"Granted I wasn't dressed for the job, but I did put a ran slicker on" said Natalie.

"Yes, it didn't do much good did it" said Sig.

"Forget I tried to help. I'll just go back to the galley or better yet my room" she yelled storming off down the stairs.

Sig just sighed in response and turned his attention back to the growing seas.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please continue to read and review.

Natalie sat quietly at the table as the guys inhaled their dinner. She'd grudgingly changed her clothes after her encounter with Sig and was fairly sure the slippers were a total loss. She'd made it back to the galley just in time to pull everything out of the oven and get it on the table before the guys headed inside. Sig had set the boat on autopilot and come down to eat with the group. Natalie was sure she'd have enough food to make hash with the leftovers but all the platters were almost empty.

"Ok, the gear's in the water so now we'll head back to the first string and see how the fishing is" said Sig.

"Hopefully we won't be pulling in the trough" said Matt.

"By the time we get back there the tides will have changed" said Sig confidently.

Edgar rubbed is neck and turned it making it crack violently.

"Don't do that" said Natalie.

"It makes it feel better" said Edgar.

Natalie rolled her eyes. Realizing that her physical therapy work was going to be starting shortly after dinner she started to mentally make a list of who probably needed what and in what order.

"Who wants dessert?" asked Jake as he got up from the table.

"Everyone" replied Nick. "I hope it's a special Junior dessert."

"What's a special Junior dessert?" asked Natalie.

"You'll see. He manages to pile 1000 calories into one bowl" said Nick.

"Wow, that must be a big bowl" said Natalie.

"Not as big as you think" said Norman quietly.

Jake crashed around in the kitchen for a few minutes and eventually emerged with a tray full of paper bowls. The bowls were full of ice cream, with oreos stuck in the side, with kit kat bars sticking out of the other side, topped with whip cream and chocolate syrup. Jake proudly passed out his concoction and everyone dug in.

"Best one so far" said Edgar.

"Delicious" said Nick.

Jake turned to Natalie awaiting her response.

"I don't think I've ever eaten this much sugar in my life. It's super tasty but I'm going to be up all night on a crazy sugar high" said Natalie with a giggle.

After the dishes were done Natalie started making the rounds. Her first stop was Edgar, he was probably in the most physical pain since he was coming into the season with a current injury. She worked on him with warm healing massage and some chiropractic adjustments. He was sound asleep when she turned to Norman.

"I don't need anything" said Norman quietly.

"It's just a massage. If anything it will make you sleep better" said Natalie.

She felt like she was trying to coax a skittish animal. Norman took another small step away from her.

"Ok, I'll check back with you later, just in case you change your mind" said Natalie.

Norman just nodded and went back to reading his book. The moment the stateroom door was closed Edgar's muffled voice filled the air.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"Nothing. I feel fine" replied Norman defensively.

"She's here to help us all feel better. You don't have to be all tough" said Edgar.

"Go to sleep Edgar, don't worry about me" said Norman.

Natalie wandered into the galley and found Nick there with an open bottle of pain relief pills. He smiled at her and raised his glass in salute before slugging down a handful.

"What's hurting?" Natalie asked.

"Everything. But that's really par for the course" said Nick.

Natalie studied him for a moment and realized that he was massaging his hands. She sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. She moved her fingers over his knuckles and then turned over his hands until the palms were facing up. Her hands traced up his wrists and up to his elbow feeling the sinewy muscles.

"I think you have carpal tunnel" announced Natalie.

"What? I don't type" said Nick.

"It can actually be caused by any repetitive movement" said Natalie.

"Well opening and closing 200 pots can probably count as repetitive movement" said Nick.

Natalie slowly pulled at Nick's hands working hard to relax the muscles. Eventually the massage traveled up his arms, where she paid special attention to the injured wrist. As she passed over his arm muscles she noticed a spattering of scars. Nick explained that everyone had scars in this profession. It was impossible not to get hurt.

"Speaking of getting hurt" began Nick.

"Yes" asked Natalie.

"What were you doing out on deck today?" asked Nick.

"Trying to help" replied Natalie defensively.

"Unless you are completely kitted out for work on deck I wouldn't suggest coming out" said Nick. "We'd hate for something to happen to you."

Natalie sighed deeply and looked down for a moment.

"I just wanted to help, but I won't make that mistake again" she said bitterly.

"We want you to help, we'd love your help but not if you are going to get hurt while doing it" said Nick.

"Fine" said Natalie.

"I can tell you don't mean that" said Nick.

Natalie just shook her head and released Nick's arm.

"Do you feel better?" asked Natalie.

"Much, thanks" he replied with a smile.

Natalie smiled and went off to find the other crew members.

Jake and Matt were in their stateroom reading letters from home. They both looked up when Natalie knocked on the door before walking in.

"Everyone decent" she asked.

"We're dressed but definitely not decent" said Matt.

"Ah boat humor, can't get enough of it" said Natalie with a laugh.

"What's up?" asked Jake. "Still on a dessert sugar high?"

"Yes, I'm sure I'll be on a sugar high until tomorrow" said Natalie with a wink.

"I'm glad you liked it" said Jake.

"Ok, who wants go go first?" asked Natalie.

"First for what?" asked Jake.

"First to get checked out and treated for any aches and pains?" replied Natalie.

"I thought you were just here for Edgar. He gave us a lecture about not abusing you" said Jake.

"I thought that was about abusing her in a completely different way" said Matt with a wink.

"You are definitely not decent" said Natalie. "Just for that I'm going to check out Jake first."

"Eww, can I watch" said Matt.

"Sure, if that's how you get your kicks" said Natalie.

"How do you want me?" asked Jake.

Matt leaned forward in his bunk waiting for Natalie's answer.

"You just stay right there, I'll come to you" replied Natalie in a sultry drawl.

"Oh My God! You have no mercy, I'm going to have that voice running through my head for weeks" said Matt banging his head against the wooden bunk.

"Don't hurt yourself. I don't have a remedy for brain damage" said Natalie.

"Well then I guess Matt is passed help" said Jake.

Natalie took Jake's hands in hers and examined the small cuts on his palms. She reached into her little bag and took out some antiseptic cream and massaged it into his hands. She then turned him around and started on his shoulders, working her way down his arms until he was a lump of jelly.

"Amazing" whispered Jake. "Thanks, I feel great."

"Get some rest and drink some water" said Natalie.

Then she turned to Matt and asked to see his hands. He reluctantly placed them in hers. His knuckles were bruised and battered, a few looked like they'd been broken.

"What's the story with these" said Natalie running her hands over his knuckles.

"I use to get in fights a lot" said Matt. "I'm not proud or nothing, it's just something I did when I was younger."

"Do they hurt a lot?" asked Natalie.

"Not so bad during king, but in Opies when it's cold they hurt like a son of a bitch" said Matt.

"I think they are arthritic" said Natalie.

"Oh yeah, well that makes me really feel old" said Matt.

"It has nothing to do with age, it just has to do with damage. These were never properly treated and now you have arthritis" explained Natalie. "Probably some anti-inflammatory medication will help your hands not to hurt so much."

"I'm hesitant to take anything too strong. I have a bit of an addictive personality" said Matt.

"Oh really? How on earth could anyone do this job while high?" asked Natalie.

"You can't at least not safely. I was never using on the boat. In fact I came on this boat many times to dry out" replied Matt.

"You must be really good at your job because this isn't the kind of job to just let anyone do. I mean you have to trust everyone that work's on the boat with your life" began Natalie.

"Sig's old man always bailed me out and always said that if I could come on sober, I'd always have a job" said Matt.

"He seems like he must have been a very generous guy" said Natalie.

"He was a hard ass, the kind of guy who could yell at you with curse words you'd never heard of, then turn around and lend you money" said Matt.

"Is he..." began Natalie.

"He passed away kind of suddenly a while back" said Matt.

"Thanks for the heads up" said Natalie. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah, my hands don't hurt as much" replied Matt.

"If you are up for it, I can use acupuncture to bring down the swelling" said Natalie.

"I'll think about it" replied Matt.

"No pressure" said Natalie with a smile.

She collected her kit and headed back to the galley.

Natalie made a new pot of coffee and decided to try a new plan with Sig's coffee delivery system. Placing a few generous scoops of grinds in a french press she waited for the water to boil. Waiting for the coffee to steep she went to work on updating a small notebook she kept with her healing kit. She noted everyone's chief complaints as well as others she'd noticed. By the time she'd finished the coffee was probably strong enough. She slipped a few cookies on a plate, grabbed the coffee and headed up to the wheelhouse.

"Knock knock Sig" called Natalie.

"Come up, if you're bearing coffee" said Sig.

"You're in luck" said Natalie.

She walked over to the console and set down the french press and plate of cookies.

"What the hell is this?" asked Sig.

"It's a french press, I found it in your kitchen" said Natalie.

"In this kitchen? I wonder where it came from" contemplated Sig.

"I thought you'd like to use it. It holds at least 8 cups of coffee or 4 Sig sized cups" said Natalie.

Sig took a tentative sip and then a bite of a cookie.

"How's the coffee?" asked Natalie.

"Fine. How long will this thing keep it hot?" asked Sig.

"At the rate you drink coffee, I don't think it's a concern" replied Natalie.

"Yeah, we'll see" said Sig. "Good work."

"Thanks" said Natalie trying to hide a smile.

Sig winced slightly while looking at Natalie. She frowned then realized she was standing under a light

"Another headache?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah, same as always" replied Sig.

Natalie walked up behind him and began the process of working out the knots in his neck. The tendons in his neck eventually began to relax and Natalie started to gently rub his temples. Sig relaxed more and stopped mid sentence of his captain interview.

Chris turned the camera away from Sig and focused on Natalie.

"So Natalie, how are you adjusting to life on the boat" he asked.

"It's hard, the fact that the boat is always moving. The constant motion is exhausting, you know always trying to catch your balance or prevent yourself from running into stuff. But I'm sure what I experience is nothing compared to what the guys on deck have to do. I'm just cooking, not moving pots around" explained Natalie.

"What else" prompted Chris.

"It's amazing how much these guys eat or the numbers of calories they burn in a day" said Natalie. "And the old injuries that they have. I can't imagine the pain they deal with every time they suit up."

"So what happened to Edgar to require you to be here?" asked Chris.

"You should ask him" said Natalie.

"Why won't you tell me?" asked Chris.

"Because it's not my story to tell" said Natalie.

"She's smart" said Sig.

"Ok, just tell me if it's an embarrassing story" prompted Chris.

"I'm not saying a word, patient privilege. Ask Sig or anyone on the boat I'm sure they'd know the story" said Natalie.

"But I don't have them in front of the camera right now" replied Chris.

"What are you talking about" said Natalie. "Sig's right here."

"Are you kidding? He's practically in a coma thanks to you" said Chris.

Natalie took a moment to look at Sig's heavy lidded eyes.

"Sig, should I get someone else to drive the boat or are you ok?" asked Natalie.

"Fine, I'm fine" replied Sig his eyes slipping shut.

"Right. Who has wheel watch?" asked Natalie.

"rhmn" replied Sig.

"Sorry, what was that?" asked Natalie.

"He said Norman" answered Chris.

"Really? Well I had no idea you were fluent in Sig" said Natalie.

"You have to be. We're the ones that do all the subtitles for the show. You get to learn the jargon and their exhausted mumblings " said Chris.

"Nice. Do you think you can keep an eye on sleeping beauty, while I go get Norman?" asked Natalie.

"No problem" said Chris.

"I'm fine" muttered Sig.

Natalie had already turned to walk down the stairs. If she heard Sig, she'd studiously ignored him.

Natalie made a brief stop in the kitchen to pour Norman a cup of coffee. She debated taking it to his bunk but thought it was pretty likely it would be spilled on the way. Walking into the stateroom she stumbled over a pile of clothes and cursed quietly. Sitting down on the corner of Norman's bed she grabbed Norman's hand and began rubbing. Norman sighed deeply and then slowly opened his eyes. Natalie smiled quietly and reached for his other hand. Norman obediently placed his other hand into hers.

"I have some bad news" said Natalie quietly.

"You could tell me anything right now and I wouldn't care" replied Norman.

"Ok, it's your turn at wheel watch" replied Natalie.

"Figures" said Norman.

"I poured a cup of coffee for you in the kitchen" said Natalie.

"Thanks" said Norman.

He swung his legs over the bed and stretched. Natalie moved away and climbed into her bunk. Norman stood up and leaned over her.

"Good night" he said tucking the blankets around her.

"Thanks" said Natalie fumbling with her alarm clock.

"What'cha doing?" asked Norman.

"Setting my alarm, so I can make breakfast" said Natalie.

"I'll come down and get you" said Norman.

"But I have to cook breakfast, so you have to get me at least an hour or two before everyone has to start on deck" said Natalie.

"I swear to god you both need a muzzle" muttered Edgar. "Norman call her on the fucking phone. Natalie go to sleep."

Norman and Natalie laughed quietly before Natalie settled into bed and Norman slipped out of the room and up to wheelhouse.


	8. Chapter 8

*Thanks for all the great reviews. I love reading each and every one of them. Please continue.

Natalie rolled over when the phone rang a few hours later and picked up the receiver. Norman's tired voice informed her they were a little over an hour from the first string. Natalie swung her feet over the side of the bunk and quickly got dressed. After she got out of the bathroom she shuffled into the kitchen to start breakfast. She put the bacon and sausage in the oven to cook then started boiling a huge pot of eggs. Hard boiled egg sandwiches were on the menu along with some muffins. She toppled the plastic covered muffins into a bowl in the center of the table and turned to asses the coffee situation. Once everything was cooking she looked around for a place she could do some stretches. Yoga was her favorite way to start the morning and she never really felt like herself if she didn't get a chance to do a few of her favorite positions. Realizing that inside was just too small to accommodate what she wanted to do she slipped outside. The cold air that hit her was intense but strangely exhilarating. She was better dressed this time, wearing warmer pants, a long sleeved t-shirt and a sweatshirt. On her feet were a pair of sneakers. She took care to stay away from the deck camera and under the protection of the awning. The boat was in fairly calm seas, but it still rocked constantly. Doing the majority of poses were fairly easy, the ones that required her to take a foot off the ground were basically impossible. After going quickly through a basic yoga routine she walked back inside arriving just ahead of a very grumpy Sig Hansen.

"Where the hell is the coffee" he barked.

"In the coffee pot" replied Natalie.

Sig cracked an eye open and stared into the pot, it was full.

"Where's the smell?" asked Sig.

"What smell?" countered Natalie.

"You know the smell" repeated Sig.

"You mean the burning smell of old coffee?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah, whatever, the smell that tells us that there is coffee brewing down here" replied Sig.

"I'm sure you will smell it after a few drips are spilled all over the heating element. I cleaned it because it smelled gross, but I'm sure if you put your mind to it you can get the smell back soon" said Natalie.

"Things on this boat run better without change" said Sig.

"I'm afraid that the world is always changing and even when nothing seems to change something is" replied Natalie sagely.

"I don't need to here any of that mumbo jumbo" said Sig.

Natalie just turned back to assembling breakfast in response.

"Why are you wet?" asked Sig.

Natalie looked over her shoulder and noticed a very distinctive wet mark. She hadn't even felt the splash when she was outside.

"I was doing some yoga outside" said Natalie.

"You went outside without telling us?" asked Sig menacingly.

"I just stepped out right under the awning, I go farther to get food out of the freezer without checking in" replied Natalie.

Sig pondered continuing the argument and then decided against it. He poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed a few hard boiled eggs out of the bowl and a few pieces of toast.

"Are you making something this morning or is it a hotel continental breakfast?" asked Sig.

"Eggy cheesy sandwiches with hard boiled eggs, bacon and sausage" said Natalie. "Oh and the muffins from the store."

"You didn't bake them yourself?" asked Sig.

Natalie gave him a look and took the bowl of eggs away from him before he ate them all. She got to work getting the sandwiches assembled and the rest of the breakfast on the table. The guys rolled in sleepy eyed and disheveled. Every single guy made a comment about the lack of coffee only to be informed there was coffee and the pot had been cleaned. Sig got great glee out of telling everyone they were wrong.

Natalie sat in the wheelhouse waiting for the first pot to come into view. Sig had tasked her to keep an eye out for it but Natalie couldn't see anything but a sheet of slate grey water. A flash of orange caught the corner of her eye and she happily announced her findings. Sig announced the pot was off the bow and fishing began. Natalie sat in the port side chair watching the waves and listening to the crackling voices from down on deck. The first few pots had yielded numbers in the high teens.

"So are you going to stay or go?" asked Chris.

"Well, these are numbers that we could grind on given a long enough soak, but I'd ideally like to find better fishing" said Sig to the camera. "So we'll probably stack on the gear and see what's in the rest of the string."

"So is there an over under of grindable fishing?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, but it depends on many factors" expounded Sig. "Firstly when the actual offload date is, if it's firm then the numbers can be lower, if it's liable to change then we need to be on strong numbers from the get go, so we will seek higher numbers from the beginning. Secondly, it depends on what I feel like doing. And really that's all that matters."

Natalie tuned out the rest of the lecture, she felt Sig's self importance start to fill the room.

"Nineteen, one, nine" said Edgar's voice over the hailer. "By the way can you ask Nat to send out more redbull."

"Roger" replied Sig.

By the time he turned to deliver the message she was already gone. She returned to the wheelhouse after making a few quick sandwiches and delivering them and the drinks to the guys on deck.

"How's everyone doing out there?" asked Sig.

"Tired" said Natalie.

"Well the snack should buy us a little time until they need lunch" said Sig.

Lunch arrived after 8 hours out on deck. The guys came in tired, wet and starving. Natalie served a huge bowl of chili and cornbread. For dessert warm chocolate brownies with ice cream. The guys enjoyed the food and the short respite from the never ending work. Everyone sighed as the meal came to the close. The jovial conversation all but came to a halt until Edgar smiled.

"Natalie, I have something for you" he said suddenly.

He walked out on deck and returned a moment later with a pair of oilskins.

"What's that?" she asked warily.

"Your new deck gear" said Edgar.

"Where are the slippers?" asked Natalie.

"Funny" said Edgar. "Lets get you suited up."

"What do I have to take off?" asked Natalie.

"If anything you should put more on" said Matt.

"Yeah, I definitely think you should maybe put another layer of clothes maybe two" said Edgar.

"I don't know if this is a good idea" said Sig.

"She'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on her" said Edgar.

"I agree with Sig" said Norman.

"Of course you do, you and captain Ahab are thick as thieves" complained Edgar.

Norman rolled his eyes in response and walked out of the room.

"Edgar, lets be reasonable. She has no experience on a deck doing anything, the weather is probably going to start coming up, she's just another liability" said Sig.

"Lets suit her up and if you get scared then you can call her in" countered Edgar.

"Fine" said Sig. "But the minute I call her in she's coming in."

Edgar smiled gleefully and told Natalie to go put on some more clothes.

Natalie walked into the ready room wearing three layers of clothing. Edgar helped her to step into the pants. He pulled them up and tightened the suspenders, the pants fell about 6 inches too long. Placing her feet in boots that were far too big Edgar cut the bottom of the pants so they hit just above the heel of the boot. Around her waist Edgar wrapped duct tape in order to make the pants little snugger. The jacket proved to be a bigger issue. Nick took over and folded part of the back of the jacket in thirds and taped the pieces together. It wasn't pretty but everyone was confident it would probably keep her fairly dry. The shoes were a little bit of a problem, she was tripping over them and occasionally her foot would just come out it completely.

"Well I guess if you don't walk around too much it won't be an issue" said Matt.

Natalie just smiled and managed to shuffle over to where Norman was sitting. She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his leg.

"I don't have any cigs if that's what you are asking for" said Norman.

"Do I look like the kind of person who smokes?" asked Natalie.

"Not really" said Norman. "Are you sure you want to be out here?"

"Enough socializing, it's time for a quick tutorial" said Edgar.

"I'll show her" said Jake.

"No, I want her to learn the right way" said Edgar.

"Are you kidding, there is the right way, the wrong way and the Norwegian way. And you know which way you're going to teach her" said Matt.

Edgar half dragged Natalie around the deck showing her the different positions in the rotation. The last place he showed her was the sorting table.

"This is where you'll be" said Edgar.

He handed her a while plastic measuring stick and when Natalie reached out to take it he noticed she was just wearing striped gloves.

"You'll need rubber gloves" he said.

"They're going to be too big" said Natalie.

"Well if you don't wear them you're hands are going to get destroyed" said Edgar. "Junior, go get her a pair of gloves."

Jake arrived with a pair of gloves and Natalie dutifully slipped her hands into them. They were gigantic.

"Told you so" said Natalie shaking her hands which caused the gloves to come off.

"Are you sure you can't keep them on?" asked Edgar. "Do you have another pair of gloves."

"No, all I have is a pair of mittens" replied Natalie.

"So go put those on"said Edgar.

"I won't be able to put my fingers through the gloves" said Natalie.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked a frustrated Edgar.

"Edgar, mittens don't have any fingers. Just a part for a thumb and another section for the rest of my hand" explained Natalie.

"Well, fuck" said Edgar.

"How about some dishwashing gloves" suggested Natalie.

"That's fine" said Edgar. "Just something to keep your hands dry."

Natalie stumbled across the deck and into the house. She managed to make it back out onto the deck as they pulled up to the first pot. She took her place at the sorting table, grabbed her measuring stick and waited. The first pot was pulled up and had a few crab in it. They were dumped onto the sorting table and Natalie stood frozen on the spot.

"Come on Nat, pick up a crab and measure it" said Matt.

"They look like giant bugs" said Natalie.

"Grab them by one of the claws, spin it around, measure it and then put it over here if it's big enough, over there if it's too small" explained Matt.

Natalie tentatively reached out a gloved hand.

"Oh my God, nice gloves" said Matt with a snort.

"Thanks, they're for dishwashing" said Natalie turning her pink gloves to display them.

"We left the last crab for you" said Nick.

Natalie's smile slipped off her face and was replaced by a determined frown. Reaching over she grabbed the crab by one of the claws and turned it around on the table. She gingerly set the measuring stick on top of the crab and was able to see it was big enough. Then using the measuring stick she pushed it over to the pile.

"How many?" asked Jake.

"What?" replied Natalie.

"How many did you count" asked Jake.

"One" said Natalie.

Jake walked over to the deck intercom and announced 15 keepers. Natalie watched as the smaller crab were tossed back via the trash chute. Sig decided to stack on the pots and continue to look for better fishing. Natalie stood next to Jake at the bait table and helped to scoop bait into the bags. It was disgusting work and she kept waiting for Jake to chop a finger off in the bait chopper.

"This thing reminds me of the end of Fargo" said Natalie. "You know the part where Steve Buscemi ends up in the woodchopper."

"It's a pretty mean machine" said Jake. "You could easily chop up a body in it."

"Good to know" said Natalie.

Hours later Natalie was still on deck. She was leaning on the sorting table attempting to push her small stack of crab down the chute into the tank. Her feet were on tiptoe and finally Norman took pity on her and pushed her stack the rest of the way. Natalie smiled gratefully and walked back to the bait station. She and Jake had taken turns loading the bait bags and eventually Natalie decided that she preferred to slash and hang the cod. The weather was still flat calm and almost pleasant.

"Ok Natalie, lets see you hang the bait in the next pot" said Jake.

"No thanks" said Natalie.

"Come on, you can do it. I have faith in you" said Jake encouragingly.

"I have no doubt I can do it, I just don't want to" said Natalie.

"Baby" muttered Jake.

"That won't work" said Natalie.

"What?" asked Jake innocently.

"Attempting to call me weak because I won't do something" said Natalie.

"How about begging?" suggested Jake.

"Not that either" said Natalie.

"How about trying to ask nicely" suggested Nick.

"No one does anything nicely on this boat" said Jake.

"Natalie, will you hang the next bait set up, so we can quit hearing Junior bitch" said Nick sweetly.

"For you Nick, of course" said Natalie.

Nick gave her a quick lesson about how to get into the pot and where to feed the hanging bag through the mesh. Natalie stood at the ready for the pot to be set in the launcher. Sliding across the deck it banged painfully into the side of the boat making Natalie wince.

"It's good to be scared, that means you aren't going to get in it's way" said Edgar.

After a moment the pot was set and the doors pulled open. The buoy bags and lines were pulled out by Nick.

"Ok, you're up Natalie" he announced.

Natalie hopped into the pot doing her best to scramble towards the back. She'd just gotten the bait bag string handed to Norman when a wave crashed over the side of the boat dousing her. She finished hanging the cod and sputtered as she got out of the pot.

"That my dear is a Bearing Sea baptism" said Edgar with a smile.

"Oh my God, I'm soaked" replied Natalie.

"Edgar! I told you to keep her away from the rail" yelled Sig's voice over the hailer.

"Busted" said Matt with a smirk.

"Back to the bait table Bug" said Edgar.

"Wait, what did you just call me?" said Natalie.

"Bug, you know because you're Nat for short and that's a type of bug. Consider it your new nickname" explained Edgar.

"What if I don't like it" said Natalie.

"Then we will think of one a thousand times worse" said Edgar.

"Fine" said Natalie as she stalked back to the bait table.

She'd almost made it back when her foot came out of the boot and stepped right into a puddle of water.

"Ok that's it. I'm done. I'm pretty sure every part of me is now wet" she announced.

"Every part" said Jake waggling his eyebrows.

"Yes, every single part" said Natalie completely missing the innuendo.

Everyone on deck broke out into hysterics. Natalie rolled her eyes and walked towards the ready room.

"Are you going to stop her?" Nick asked Edgar.

"Nope, she'll be back in a second. There is no way she can get out of the duct tape by herself" said Edgar proudly.

Natalie shrugged off the rain slicker and then kicked off her boots reveling in the satisfying thunk they made as they hit the dryer. Next she pulled her soaking wet sweatshirt off and threw it in the washer. After attempting to pull off the rain pants twice she realized she was going to need a little help. Deciding she didn't want to go back out on deck she walked through the galley and up to the wheelhouse. Sig was watching the guys on the monitor when she walked in.

"I need some help" said Natalie.

"Oh yeah?" said Sig not taking his eyes off the monitor.

"Yes, I can't get my pants off" said Natalie.

Sig's head shot up so fast it took his eyes a minute to refocus. When they did focus he saw Natalie standing in his wheelhouse in a soaking wet t-shirt apparently very cold. He finally pealed his eyes away from her chest long enough to see her dilemma. The waist of the pants was wrapped with duct tape.

"How did you managed to get those pants like that? And why are you so wet?" asked Sig.

"Edgar did the pants for me and I'm wet because it's like a fucking washing machine out there" said Natalie.

"Come over here and I'll help you" said Sig.

Natalie walked across the deck to Sig's chair and waited. Sig popped the boat into neutral and turned around.

"Shit, I'm going to need a knife or something to cut this" said Sig thoughtfully.

"I can slip out of them if you just loosen the tape a little" said Natalie.

Sig pulled a small leatherman out of a drawer and sliced through one layer of tape. He pulled slightly and Natalie shimmied around in an attempt to free herself.

"Stand still so I don't cut you" said Sig.

"No I've almost got it" said Natalie. "Just pull the pants down a little."

Sig set down the knife and pulled the pants down as hard as he could. The force managed to free the oilskins but also pulled down Natalie's sweats as well. Sig got a nice view of her panties.

"Oh well the pants were wet anyway" said Natalie as she stepped out of the two pairs of pants.

Sig didn't hide his sudden interest in Natalie's newly revealed body. She was thin but muscular and her skin was tan. When Natalie bent down to pick up the discarded clothes Sig almost forgot to breathe. He sucked in a stunned breath which cause Natalie to look at him.

"Honestly, I can't be the first girl you've ever seen in a pair of underwear" said Natalie exasperatedly.

"Why are you so tan" asked Sig suddenly.

"What?" said Natalie.

"Tan, you're so tan. You live in Washington right? It's not that warm there even in the summer" said Sig.

"Not that it matters but I visit my family in Hawaii every summer" said Natalie.

"Are you hawaiian?" said Sig.

"Do I look hawaiian?" asked Natalie.

"Maybe" hedged Sig.

"No, I'm not hawaiian. My parents live there" said Natalie.

She stood there waiting for Sig to say something else, when it became clear he'd lost his ability to speak she turned to go. She'd almost reached the door when she heard Sig start to speak.

"My little coffee thing is empty" said Sig.

"Thanks for letting me know" said Natalie as she continued walking.

"Can you please refill it" said Sig.

"Is this just an excuse to see me in my underwear a little longer?" asked Natalie knowingly.

Sig just shrugged his shoulders and shook the french press in her direction. Natalie sighed and walked back to collect the pot.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter was hard for me to write for some reason. Hopefully the next will go faster. Thanks for all who are sticking with me through these sporadic updates.

Natalie put the finishing touches on dinner and placed it in the oven. Beef bourguignon was one of her favorite dishes. It was something her mother made a lot when she was growing up and it was the only dish she ever taught her to cook. It could sit in the oven until the guys were ready to come in and just get better. She knelt on the counter and peered out the window watching Edgar and the guys work on deck for a few moments before cleaning up the kitchen. The weather had started to come up and Sig had asked her to stay inside. The deck was becoming dangerous, totes were sliding back and forth and pots were swinging in the heavy winds. Once everything was squared away she decided to check on Sig. She slipped up to the wheelhouse and took her place in the port side chair. The waves crashed against the bow of the boat splattering the windows with sea water. Sig's head looked like it was mounted on a swivel, it whipped between the approaching waves and the camera monitoring the deck. He would announce incoming waves over the hailer advising the guys to take shelter. Natalie could feel the stress rolling off him. Chris filmed the growing seas out the front windows.

"These are some monster waves" he said casually.

"Yeah, the guys need to get through these next 20 pots and then we'll ride out the storm. It's getting harry out there" said Sig.

"Does that mean dinner in 20 pots?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" replied Sig.

"Ok, then I'm going to shower before they come in" she replied.

"Have fun" replied Sig.

"I plan too" said Natalie.

Standing under the shower spray Natalie closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth. She felt the knots in her arms and back slowly loosen. She'd already washed her hair three times but continued to find the occasional cod scales in it. She stood under the pulsing spray and began to mediate. Norman knocked on the door a few times before finally just opening the door. The steam rolled out into the small hallway. Norman took a deep breath and walked into the citrus scented room.

"Natalie" he said.

Receiving no answer he walked towards the shower and pulled back the curtain. Natalie was standing in the shower, eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey" said Norman poking her in the arm. "You are going to use all the hot water."

Natalie's eyes snapped open and her head turned toward the voice.

"I thought I had 20 pots" said Natalie.

"You did and you've used them all" said Norman.

"No fucking way, I haven't been in here that long" said Natalie.

"You have maybe 5 pots left. I just came in to go to the bathroom" said Norman.

"Well that's a relief" said Natalie.

She turned off the water and reached out for her towel. Norman unabashedly stared at Natalie's exposed body as she dried herself off. Finally wrapping the towel around herself she walked out of the bathroom. Norman watched her retreating form and let out the breath he'd been holding.

The guys trouped in a few minutes later and found themselves faced with a huge spread on the table. Natalie set down the drinks on the table and went up to tell Sig dinner was ready. By the time she got back everyone was gathered around the table digging into the food.

"This is amazing" said Matt.

"Try using the bread to sop up the juices" suggested Natalie.

"This is totally gourmet food" said Nick.

"It's not really, but it cooks for a long time which makes the meat tender and delicious" said Natalie.

"Norm, why didn't you come back out" asked Edgar.

"It was my fault" said Natalie. "I was taking a shower."

"Norm, I didn't think you'd be that patient" said Edgar.

"He wasn't" replied Natalie.

Eyebrows were raised and a chorus of oohs went around the table.

"Who wants dessert?" asked Natalie quickly.

"Everyone, except Norman he already got some" said Matt.

"I assure you he got nothing" said Natalie.

"Burn" replied Jake.

Norman reached over and landed a hard punch on Jake's arm.

"Fuck, that hurt" muttered Jake.

"It was suppose to" said Norman.

Natalie passed out dessert and walked over to Matt who was rubbing his hands.

"Are you willing to let me use acupuncture on your knuckles. I assure you, your hands will feel better" said Natalie quietly.

"Right now I'd be willing to let you hit me with a hammer if it would make them stop hurting" said Matt.

Natalie took Matt's hand in hers and watched him wince.

"I'll be right back" said Natalie.

"Are we going to do it here?" asked Matt.

"Yes, I need a flat surface" said Natalie.

"You're crazy" said Nick. "You're going to let her stick you with pins on a rocking boat in the middle of the bearing sea?"

"She's promised I'll be fine" said Matt.

"Better you than me" said Nick.

Natalie returned a moment later with a small box of tiny stainless steel needles. She heated up towel and placed it over Matt's hand. The warm heat began to relax his tired joints. Natalie spoke quietly to Matt encouraging him to relax. The other guys looked on in amazement as Natalie soothed Matt into an almost sleep-like trance. Then she swabbed the knuckles with alcohol and began to strategically place the needles. Matt didn't wince or move throughout the entire process. When Natalie finished removing the last of the needles she carefully rubbed Matt's hands.

"How do you feel?" asked Natalie.

"Tired" said Matt.

"Ok, how do your hands feel" said Natalie.

"They don't feel like anything" said Matt. "No pain, no feeling it's kind of weird."

"Get some rest" said Natalie.

"Is that an order?" asked Matt.

"I'm in no position to give orders on this boat" said Natalie. "Consider it a friendly suggestion."

Edgar took the first watch and before Sig retired for the night he came looking for Natalie. He found her in the kitchen cleaning out the fridge and prepping food for the next day's meals. Sig watched her for a few minutes before lighting a cigarette. The click of the lighter caught Natalie's attention and she turned. She smiled at Sig for a moment before returning to her task.

"What's all this?" asked Sig pointing to a pile of food on the counter.

"It's the veggies that I think are going to go bad" said Natalie.

"Are you going to throw them out?" asked Sig.

"No, I'm going to cook them before they spoil" said Natalie.

"Aw" said Sig.

Natalie started chopping the vegetables while Sig helped himself to a huge square of chocolate.

"Do you want some?" he asked.

"Sure" said Natalie.

Since her hands were occupied she just opened her mouth for Sig to put the chocolate in. Sig gently placed a piece on her tongue. Natalie closed her eyes savoring the delicious flavor of the high quality Norwegian chocolate. Her pleasure radiated onto her face and Sig's breath caught in his throat at how beautiful she was in that moment.

"That's really good" said Natalie. "No wonder you want to keep it all to yourself."

"I'm willing to share with you" said Sig.

"Thanks, I'll definitely take you up on your offer" said Natalie.

Sig watched Natalie finish up the vegetables and clean up. Before he knew it she was saying good night and walking off to bed. Sig sat for a moment looking off into middle distance wondering what had just happened to him.

Natalie climbed into bed, the moment her body relaxed the aches of the day penetrated her mind. She tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position. When it became clear it wasn't going to happen she got down and pulled a small box of pills out of her bag. She pulled out one pill and groped around for a bottle of water.

"What are you doing?" asked a groggy Norman.

"Looking for a bottle of water" said Natalie.

"Why?" asked Norman.

"Because I need to take something to wash down this pill, everything hurts right now" said Natalie.

"It comes with the territory" said Norman.

"Found it" said Natalie triumphantly.

"Good, get some sleep" said Norman.

"Roger" said Natalie quietly.

She climbed back into her bunk and fell into a fitful sleep.

A few hours later Natalie rolled over and tugged the blanket around her. She was freezing, colder than she'd ever felt in her life. Cracking her eyes open she noticed the room was pitch black. Usually a trickle of light filtered through the crack of the door but now there was nothing.

"Norman, why is it so cold in here" asked Natalie.

When she received no response she asked the question again. Once again receiving no response she leaned over her bunk and was surprised to see Norman's bunk empty. Scrambling out of bed she walked to the door and tried the light switch. Nothing happened.

"This can't be happening" Natalie said to herself.

She closed her eyes wishing to wake up from what had to be a nightmare. When her eyes reopened she was in the same position. She exhaled heavily and swore she could see her breath.

"Damn it."

Wrenching open the door she barreled into the dark hallway. Confused in the darkness it took her a few minutes to make it to the other stateroom. When she opened the door and called out the guys names she was met with silence. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes but she brushed them away. Her goal was to get to the wheelhouse. Walking towards the galley she heard the groaning of the boat.

"It's ok, it's going to be ok" she whispered to herself. She bumped her hip on the galley table and let out a relieved sigh knowing she'd almost made it to her goal. The next step her foot hit water and she screamed. The water was freezing cold and came up almost to the top of her foot. Her first thought was the boat was sinking and she was the only one left on board. The tears now freely streamed down her face and a few sobs escaped. Natalie was torn between going outside to find her way to a life raft or going to wheelhouse to call for help. Deciding that she needed a survival suit anyway she stumbled her way to the wheelhouse. After falling twice on the way up the stairs she finally started to hear voices.

"Damn it just fix it or get the back up power on" yelled Sig. "Before we are dead in the fucking water."

Natalie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was ridiculously relieved that she hadn't been abandoned on a sinking ship however it did seem like sinking was still a distinct possibility. Chris noticed her and walked over to see if she was ok. Sig was still yelling on the phone.

"Nat are you ok?" asked Chris quietly.

"Yeah" said Natalie quietly. "What's going on?"

"We've lost power. Everyone is down in the engine room trying to get it fixed" said Chris. "You're shaking" said Chris.

"I'm ok. I was scared" said Natalie.

Chris nodded and gave her a quick squeeze before returning to film Sig.

"Where did you just go? I need your light" said Sig as Chris returned to his peripheral vision.

"Natalie's here" said Chris.

"Everything is fine" announced Sig.

Natalie was still too shocked and scared to respond so when Sig didn't hear anything he turned to look at her. In the dark Sig couldn't make out anything but her profile.

"Come here" said Sig.

Natalie shuffled forward until she was within Chris's camera light. Sig's mouth dropped open when he saw the state she was in. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a light t-shirt. Her arms were broken out in goosebumps and her teeth were chattering violently. The thing that was most striking was the completely terrified look on her face.

"It's going to be ok" said Sig.

Natalie nodded.

"I promise you're going to be fine. It's a minor glitch, we have them every season" said Sig.

Tears leaked down Natalie's face as she struggled to keep herself from having a completely breakdown.

"Hey, it's going to be fine" said Sig reassuringly.

He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Holy Shit! Your hand's like an ice cube" he announced.

"It's cold" said Natalie gritting her teeth against the chattering.

"I know it's cold, but honestly you're freezing" said Sig.

"Well it's too dark for me to do anything about it" said Natalie.

Sig cast a glance around looking for something to bundle Natalie in, coming up empty.

"Come here" said Sig.

Natalie took a step forward and Sig pulled her into his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and held her. Natalie stiffened then relaxed into the warmth of his arms. Sig continued to speak to the crew on the boat phone and occasionally say a few words to Chris. Almost an hour later the computer monitors flickered to life and the boat lights clicked on. The wheelhouse was awash in light and Sig looked down at the girl curled up in his lap. Her eyes were closed tightly and her cheeks were streaked with tears. For the first time he realized just how upset and scared she'd been. He debated telling her the lights were back on and sending her on her way but he felt her body relax as she fell into a heavy sleep.

"So Sig" began Chris.

He was cut off by a poignant look from Sig. He'd been filming the captain a long time and knew exactly what that look meant.

"I'm going to go film the action downstairs" finished Chris.

Sig nodded and carefully shifted Natalie in his arms so he could reach the boat phone.

"Hey, I need one of you guys to come up and take over" said Sig quietly then immediately hung up before he received an answer.

Nick arrived in the wheelhouse and took in the tableau before him.

"Hey Sig, you wanted out of the chair?" asked Nick.

"Yeah" said Sig.

"Is she ok?" asked Nick. "I thought Ed and Norm said she was fast asleep."

"She was and then she woke up and got scared" said Sig.

Sig got up and jostled Natalie slightly in the process.

"Sig, she's bleeding" said Nick.

"What?" said Sig.

Nick stepped closer and pushed a lock of Natalie's hair off her forehead showing Sig a thick trickle of blood.

"How the hell did she manage to do that?" asked Sig.

"Fell against something probably. Especially if she was panicked and running through an unfamiliar boat in the dark" said Nick.

"Thanks" muttered Sig. "Call Edgar and ask him to bring up the box. I'm taking her to my stateroom."

"Roger" replied Nick reaching for the phone.

Edgar rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time. The medical box slammed against his thigh at each step. Meanwhile Sig had laid Natalie down on his bed, he used a bunch of kleenex to dab up the blood running down her forehead. Sig watched her rhythmic breathing verifying that she was still fast asleep. Edgar burst through the door banging the case against the wall in the process.

"What's going on?" he asked panting slightly.

"Natalie's hurt" said Sig.

Edgar walked towards the bed and leaned down to look at her. Sig moved so he could cradle Natalie's head in his lap.

"What happened?" asked Edgar.

"I don't know. We didn't even know she was hurt until the lights came back on" said Sig.

"Why was she up there?" asked Edgar.

"She woke up, got scared and came up" said Sig.

"She's been crying" said Edgar running his finger down her cheek.

"Yeah, she was pretty upset" said Sig sadly. "I didn't realize."

Edgar moved her hair back and looked at the dried blood. Next he parted her hair searching for the source. He continued to look until he found a small gash just about an inch above her hairline. Grabbing some gauze he cleaned it as best he could. The cut was fairly deep and still oozing blood.

"I think she needs stitches or maybe we can use the suture tape or glue" said Edgar.

"Whatever you need to do" said Sig.

"Does she have any other injuries?" asked Edgar.

"I don't know" replied Sig.

"Well lets find out" said Edgar.

Sig and Edgar methodically undressed Natalie until she was down to her bra and underwear. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts. The most concerning was a fairly large bruise blooming over her right ribs.

"What the hell is this?" asked Sig.

"It looks like it could be a broken rib" said Edgar.

"How the hell does she get this hurt on our boat" said Sig.

"Maybe it's not as bad as it looks" said Edgar. "Lets get her cleaned up and let her rest and see how she feels tomorrow."

Edgar started methodically cleaning and dressing her wounds. There were a handful of scrapes on her legs and feet along with a lot of bruising. Once they were done Edgar closed up the box and placed it on the floor.

"Do you want me to take her?" he asked.

"No, I'll keep an eye on her here" said Sig.

"Roger" said Edgar as he left the room.

Sig redressed Natalie carefully and then climbed into bed beside her. He tucked her into the crook of his arm and fell asleep.

Natalie awoke in the morning disoriented and sore. The first thing she noticed was she wasn't in her bunk and she wasn't alone. She tried to sit up but found herself pinned under a large arm. Laying back down she looked around the room, the sun was streaming through the curtains which meant she wasn't in her stateroom because there were no windows. Turning her head to the side she noticed a shock of messy blond hair. The events of the previous night came rushing back, her being scared walking through the boat, finding Sig and Chris in the wheelhouse and finally Sig holding her. Her head was pounding and when she put her hand up to it she felt a bandage. Deciding that she'd rather just go back to sleep then face reality she lay back and closed her eyes. An hour later she stirred again.

"Hey sleeping beauty" said Sig's sleepy voice.

"Hi" croaked Natalie.

"You should get some more rest" said Sig.

"My head hurts" said Natalie softly.

"Let me get you some advil" replied Sig.

Natalie stretched slowly willing her muscles to unwind. Her hands brushed down the sides of her pants and she froze.

"Why are my pants on inside out?" she asked.

"Edgar and I had to check for additional injuries. I assure you it was all very clinical" said Sig.

"You undressed me?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, your head was bleeding and we weren't sure where else you were hurt" said Sig.

"Do I have other injuries?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, you're pretty banged up and you had a few small cuts" said Sig.

"Well I guess it's a good thing you checked" said Natalie. "I wasn't naked was I?"

"No. Your dignity is still intact" said Sig.

There was a brief knock at the door and before anyone had a chance to respond Edgar walked into the room.

"How's the patient this morning?" he asked.

"Her head hurts" said Sig.

"I'm not really surprised" said Edgar. "Let me see your bruise."

Natalie flipped up her hair showing him her cut.

"No, the one on your side" said Edgar.

"Oh, ok" said Natalie. "I didn't know I had one there."

Edgar prompted her to roll onto her side and pulled up her t-shirt. The cool air caused her to break out in goosebumps. Edgar ran his hand over the purplish bruise before pressing it slightly. Natalie hissed at the pain.

"Sorry. It seems pretty tender" said Edgar. "I think you may have bruised or broken a rib. Do you remember running into anything?"

"Lots of things, this boat is always tossing me around. I've probably run into every single corner in the place" replied Natalie.

"Do you want me to wrap it for you?" asked Edgar.

"No, I want to see how it feels once I stretch and start moving around" said Natalie.

"Ok, let me know if you change your mind and try to avoid running into any more stuff" said Edgar.

"Easier said that done" muttered Natalie.

Sig handed her a small mountain of pills.

"I can't take this many" said Natalie.

"Well just take as many as you want" said Sig.

Natalie popped 4 into her mouth along with half a bottle of water. She swung her legs off the bunk and tentatively set her feet on the floor. The moment her right foot hit the ground she winced. Pulling it back up she took off her sock revealing a bloody purple pinky toe.

"Jesus that looks disgusting" said Sig.

"When did you do that?" asked Edgar.

"It had to be last night. I think I ripped off the whole nail" said Natalie inspecting the injury.

"Don't touch it, let me get some peroxide and gauze" said Edgar.

"Wow, that is one fucked up toe" commented Sig.

"No kidding, I can't even see my nail polish on it" said Natalie.

She reached down to prod the toe with her finger but Sig grabbed her wrist to gently stop her.

"He said not to touch" explained Sig.

He rubbed the back of Natalie's hand with his thumb. This action alone was enough to distract Natalie from touching her toe. Edgar returned to the room and prepared to clean the toe. Sig made to pull away his hand but Natalie held fast. She squeezed it hard as the peroxide bubbled and hissed over the wound. Her eyes were closed and her face set in a pained grimace. Edgar cleaned the toe and then taped it to her ring toe in order to stabilize it. When the procedure was finished he had her try walking on it. After a few shaky steps Natalie felt confident enough to walk down to the galley.

The rest of the crew sat sullenly around the table. They were up most of the night fixing the electrical problem and awoke to nothing more than a cold breakfast of cereal. The entire galley was a mess, somehow in the commotion the freezer had been opened and the majority of the contents had spilled and subsequently melted on the floor. That was the liquid Natalie had stepped into the night before. All eyes turned towards Sig and Natalie as they entered the room.

"Hey Bug, what happened to your head?" asked Matt.

"I hurt it on something. I don't really know" said Natalie. "I'll be fine, let me cook you guys some breakfast."

Natalie moved into the kitchen and quickly began to pull pots and pans out of the cabinets. Jake moved into the kitchen to help Natalie get the food from the upper shelves. They worked together to put a pretty decent spread on the table in less than 30 minutes. Edgar and Sig watched Natalie like a hawk trying to asses how serious her injury was. She didn't show any outward signs of discomfort but they did notice she seemed to be favoring her left side. Once breakfast was eaten Sig announced that they were pretty close to filling the boat and if the crew could get through the gear one more time they should be able to plug the boat and head into town. Natalie was given strict instruction to stay off the deck and take it easy.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Tell me what you think.

The next few days the crew worked relentlessly. Their only breaks were for meals and the short runs between strings. Natalie only ventured out on deck to bring plates of food to the guys and retrieve things from the freezers. By the time the boat was plugged everyone was exhausted. The guys fell into their bunks and Natalie made the rounds giving as many treatments as she was able to. The trip to Dutch would take them almost 24 hours. Natalie cooked a huge platter of Monte Christo sandwiches for the first hot lunch in two days and Edgar made his favorite steak and shrimp going to town dinner. Other than eating the crew mainly just spent time sleeping. Sig had spent the entire last push in his chair, getting up only to go to the bathroom. Since she was of no help on deck Natalie had spent her time in the wheelhouse doing fetch and carry errands for Sig and Chris. Now that the boat was stuffed the crew each took turns doing wheel watch. Natalie would bring up the french press of coffee for each of the crew members and either rub their shoulders or just chat with them. She certainly made what was normally an boring task on the boat more enjoyable. They were just eight hours from Dutch when a huge storm blew in. The radio had been chattering about it for days but the Northwestern had managed to avoid seeing any part of it. Suddenly it seemed they'd driven right into it. Norman sat in the chair piloting the boat through the monumental waves. Natalie sat quietly on the bench trying to keep her head on straight. The dip of the boat into the waves made her feel queasy.

"Wow, these waves are intense" said Chris. "I'm going to head out to film some B roll."

Norman turned to watch Chris's retreating back.

"Natalie, go down and just keep an eye on him from the door. If any of the guys are in the galley take one of them with you" said Norman. "Sometimes these filmmakers get a little ambitious."

"Roger" said Natalie.

Moments later Natalie, Matt and Jake were standing under the shelter wall watching Chris teeter across the deck. He was trying to get a good shot of the waves passing by the boat. Originally his plan was to stand at the rail to shoot but after being doused with water mid deck he changed his mind. Natalie was engrossed listening to Matt and Jake, who were having some sort of pissing contest about who had more scars.

"We'll let Natalie decide which one is best" said Jake.

"No really, I don't want to get involved" said Natalie. "I'm sure both of you have equally impressive scar tissue."

"Mine is way cooler" said Matt.

He pulled up his sweatshirt revealing a long jagged scar along his forearm.

"It's from a bar fight" he explained.

"Really?" asked Natalie doubtfully.

"Maybe" said Matt.

"I call bullshit" said Jake.

"What the hell, this scar is older than you are and twice as cool" said Matt.

Natalie laughed out loud at this comment. Her mirthful laughter was cut off by a gut wrenching scream. She whipped around and saw Chris laying on the deck clutching his arm. Without thinking Natalie started to run to him. Matt caught her by the edge of her sweatshirt holding her back.

"Let Jake go, you're not safe out there" said Matt.

"He's hurt" said Natalie struggling to pull herself free.

"Then we all go together" said Matt.

The three of them raced to Chris. He was curled into the fetal position clutching his right arm to his chest. Natalie bent down to see what happened. The moment she rolled him she saw the most heinous compound fracture she'd ever seen. His radial bone had broken with such severe force that it had punctured the skin. Blood poured out of the wound, squirting with each beat of his heart. For a moment Natalie didn't know what to do, then the whole world seemed to slow down and her mind cleared allowing her to focus. Her razor sharp awareness lasted all of 10 seconds before a huge wave washed over the side of the boat flooding the deck and sending her and Chris sliding.

"We need to get him inside" shouted Matt.

"Ok" said Natalie.

Matt tried to grab Chis but on a rolling deck it was nearly impossible to move him without dropping him.

"Forget it" said Natalie. "We have to drag him."

She scanned the deck for something to use and spotted a tarp covering the bait station. Jake followed her eye line and immediately sprinted over to retrieve it. The waves were coming faster and Norman's voice came over the hailer telling them to get inside. Jake and Natalie spread the tarp out and gently pulled Chris onto it. Another wave broke over the shelter wall dousing everyone. Natalie used her body to shield Chris as best she could but he was still getting soaked.

"Come on, we have to go" yelled Matt.

A 20 foot wave roared by the boat with the sound of a freight train. The sound stopped Natalie in her tracks. Matt poked her hard bringing her back to reality.

"The next wave like that might not be passing by" he said ominously.

Natalie nodded and then reached down to grab a corner of the tarp. Matt and Jake waved her away, they grabbed the ends and pulled Chris quickly towards the house.

"Camera" muttered Chris.

Natalie turned and saw the camera lying forlornly on the deck. She turned to get it.

"Natalie, leave it! We need to get off deck" said Matt.

"I'll be right back" she said.

Running down the deck sliding to a stop directly above the camera. She grabbed it and turned back. What she saw next was nothing but a wall of water. Knowing she had to grab onto something quick she made a mad dash to the sorting table. Matt and Jake made it to the awning just as the wave crested over the top of the wheelhouse. It hit the boat with the force of a bomb blast and water flooded the deck.

"Where the fuck is Natalie?" shouted Matt.

Jake searched the deck but all he saw was water.

"We need to get him inside, he's going into shock" said Matt.

"What about Natalie?" asked Jake.

"We'll come back for her" said Matt.

He and Jake moved as fast as they could into the house. They shouted for Edgar and left Chis laying in a heap just inside the door. Rushing back on deck they scanned the deck for any signs of life. A quick movement caught Jake's attention and both he and Matt were ecstatic to see a soaked Natalie weaving towards them.

"Holy Shit, I thought we lost you" said Matt.

"Almost" said Natalie. "But on the upside I got the camera."

"Fuck the camera" said Matt.

Natalie walked inside and immediately went to Chris's side. He was clearly in shock. Edgar appeared a second later holding the first aid box, but the moment he saw the state of Chris's arm he knew nothing in the box would help.

"Tell Norm to call the Coasties" said Edgar to Nick. "And wake up Sig."

"We need to stop the bleeding" said Natalie. "But we can't put pressure on the wound or risk causing an infection."

"Ok, how about a tourniquet" suggested Edgar.

"I don't know, he risks loosing his arm if the tourniquet is on too long" said Natalie. "How long will it take the coast guard to respond?"

"It's hard to say. The weather is shit, they may not even be able to drop a litter to get him" said Edgar.

"I guess the next thing is to immobilize his arm" said Natalie.

Natalie stood up quickly to get another towel just as a disheveled Sig appeared in the doorway.

"You're covered with blood" he said, his eyes wide with shock.

"It's not mine" said Natalie grabbing the towel and turning around.

Sig followed her and leaned over to see Chris on the floor. For a moment Sig felt a little sick, he was pretty sure he'd never seen so much blood in his life.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's a compound fracture" said Natalie. "He needs off this boat."

"Norman is on the phone with Coasties right now" added Nick.

"They aren't going to be able to get him in this storm" said Sig.

"They have to try" said Natalie. "This is serious, he could bleed out if we don't stop the bleeding and even if we can he needs to get a somewhere clean so he doesn't get an infection."

"We'll get him to the hospital one way or another" said Sig.

Sig left, presumably towards the wheelhouse. Natalie turned back to Chris who was staring at her with a wild look in his eyes.

"It's going to be fine" said Natalie softly. "We'll get you where you need to go."

Chris nodded, his eyes rolling back as he did.

"No, no. Stay with me" said Natalie. "Don't move too much. You've lost a little blood and it's probably made you light headed."

"I'm cold" whispered Chis.

"I know, you're all wet" said Natalie. "Let me see what I can do."

Edgar met her glance over Chris's prone body. His eyes asked the question she didn't have the answer to.

"Well" he prompted.

"The tourniquet" said Natalie resignedly.

Edgar pulled out an elastic bandage and handed it to Natalie. She hesitated for a moment.

"Seriously either do it or I will. He's going to die if you don't" said Edgar.

"Ok" said Natalie.

She wrapped the bandage above the affected area and quickly tightened it watching for the moment the blood would stop.

"Edgar, it's not stopping. It's slowing but not stopping" said Natalie.

"Let me tighten it" said Edgar.

Edgar stepped in and tightened the bandage as much as possible the blood slowed to a trickle but didn't stop.

"What the fuck, that shit is as tight as it's going to get. Why hasn't it stopped" said Edgar disgustedly.

"It means the injury is severe" said Natalie.

"We need to talk to Sig, the Coasties need to know this is major" said Edgar.

The call to the coasties was brief, they explained the Jayhawk was on its way and would get to the location as soon as possible. They advised the crew to keep Chris comfortable and to try to stem the bleeding. Natalie had taken the news hard and the realization that Chris wouldn't be rescued for another 2 to 3 hours was worrisome. She sat next to Chris on the floor holding his hand and speaking softly to him. Jake sat next to her handing her clean towels and getting her whatever she needed.

"He's still bleeding" said Jake.

"I know, I wonder if we could slow his heart down" said Natalie to herself. "If we got him cold enough we might be able to. But that would provide it's own set of risks."

"Well short of putting him in the freezer we can't really do it" said Jake.

"Yeah, you're probably right said Natalie thoughtfully. "Although, it's cold outside, we could put him out there and keep him cold. That would slow his heart rate."

"It might make him sick" said Jake.

"I think a cold is the least of his worries" said Natalie.

"Before we do anything we'll have to ask Sig" said Jake.

"Of course" said Natalie. "Will you stay with Chis?"

"Would you rather me ask him?" asked Jake.

"No, I'll do it" said Natalie.

Jake and Natalie made to switch places, but Chris wouldn't let go of Natalie's hand. She looked down and saw him grimacing. He attempted to pull her closer but his strength was already fading. Realizing what he wanted Natalie leaned down next to him.

"Save the tapes" he whispered.

"The tapes?" asked Natalie.

"They are my legacy" said Chris.

"No, you have a long way to go before you need to be worrying about your legacy" said Natalie.

"I want Jason to film" said Chris.

"He has been" said Natalie moving slightly to reveal Jason standing behind her.

"Good" said Chris. "It's making good tv."

"You'll be editing it in no time" said Natalie. "Just try to rest, the Coast Guard will be here soon."

"I'll go ask Sig about taking him outside" said Jake.

Jake was gone for only a few minutes before he returned with Sig hot on his heels.

"Are you insane?" asked Sig.

"It was just a thought" said Natalie.

"It's raining outside you'll both be soaked" said Sig.

"What about using ice to cool him" suggested Natalie.

"I just don't know" said Sig. "You really can't stem the blood flow?"

"It's still oozing, I'm not sure how much blood he's actually loosing because I don't want to uncover the break" said Natalie.

"The coastguard said to just keep him comfortable, I don't think we should try anything too ambitious. We're on a boat in the bearing sea if something goes wrong here there is no turning back" said Sig.

"Something's already gone wrong" said Natalie.

"But he's alive and you're taking care of him" said Sig. "It's honestly all we can do."

Natalie nodded and turned back to Chris. She felt more helpless in that moment than any other time in her life.

Natalie sat back on her haunches, the situation with Chris was getting worse. His pulse was thready and he was unconscious more than he was conscious. The pile of blood soaked towels was growing by the minute. Edgar had taken over for Jake as Natalie's nursing assistant. He was anxiously awaiting word from Sig that the Coasties had arrived. It had been almost 3 hours. The seas were just as choppy but the wind seemed to have died down a little. Edgar looked at Natalie and sighed. Her head was bent and though he could see her lips moving she wasn't saying the words out loud.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"Just praying" said Natalie worriedly.

"Me too" said Edgar grimly.

"I hope they come soon" said Natalie.

Edgar just nodded and placed a comforting hand on Natalie's arm. When he pulled it away he noticed blood on it. Grabbing a towel he wiped off his hand and set it on the dirty pile. Edgar was just about to tell Natalie to go clean up when Sig announced the Coast Guard helicopter was almost there.

"Ok, we need to get him out onto the deck" said Edgar.

"It's best if we slide him on the tarp. I don't think he'll be able to move on his own power and any jostling will just make the break worse" said Natalie.

Matt, Nick, Jake and Norman arrived to help as if summond. All of them worked together to get Chris out onto the deck. The noise of the Jayhawk was deafening. The seas were still choppy but the wind had come down enough that a litter could be dropped. Natalie shielded her eyes as the wind whipped up water from the deck. The rescue swimmer dropped down to the deck. He walked over and assessed Chris's situation and then radioed for the litter to be dropped. Natalie did her best to explain what she'd done and the last vitals she'd taken. She'd yelled at Chris to take care and that she'd see him soon. The litter lifted into the air swaying dangerously close to the mast and finally being pulled into the helicopter's cabin. The rescue swimmer was pulled up next and then the helicopter turned and headed towards land. Natalie stayed outside and watched the chopper until it had disappeared. Matt finally had to pull her inside.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Keep reading!

Natalie walked through the ready room and started to clean up the pile of bloody towels. Matt immediately bent to help her but she just waved him off. The mindless work was what she wanted, she didn't want to have to think about what happened or Chris. Counting the towels as she threw them into a basket, when the last one was tossed in the total was 11. Not all of them were soaked with blood but they all had a significant amount on them. Doing a little mental math made her shudder at the amount of blood she estimated Chris had lost. She didn't know what kind of equipment the Coastie team carried but she prayed it was enough to get Chris to a hospital for the critical care he needed. Edgar caught up to her as she was putting the towels in the washer.

"Don't forget to put your clothes in there too" said Edgar.

Natalie looked down at herself for the first time and noticed that she was saturated in blood.

"It's not mine" she said automatically.

"I know, but you still need to take the clothes off to wash them" said Edgar.

He pulled the sweatshirt over her head smearing her cheeks with blood. The shirt underneath was just as messy. Natalie stood shell shocked as Edgar began to undress her. However when he tried to remove her second long sleeved shirt he couldn't because it was stuck to her.

"Well crap, what the hell is making this stick. Lets get you to the shower" muttered Edgar.

He steered her through the galley and the hall stopping in front of the bathroom door. He could hear the shower running and wondered which member of the crew was currently making him wait. For a moment he considered turning off the fresh water pump but before he could walk away the shower was turned off.

"Hey, I need to get Natalie in there" yelled Edgar through the door.

Norman opened the door in just a low slung towel. The first thing he noticed was the blood all over Natalie's shirt the second was the ghostly look in her eyes. He moved aside allowing Edgar admittance into the bathroom. But instead of walking to the stateroom to dress he stood in the doorway. Edgar again tried to pull the shirt over Natalie's head but the shirt was still stuck on her skin. Flipping on the shower he pushed her arm under the water. He managed to get the shirt off her arms but it was still catching on something on her torso.

"Bug, I need some help here. Pull your shirt off" said Edgar.

Natalie reached down mechanically and grabbed the edge of her shirt, as she wrenched it over her head she revealed a gash on her side just below her bra. The fabric from the shirt tore open the already scabbing wound. Natalie hissed in pain and dropped her arms back to her side.

"Well fuck" replied Edgar. "Norm, help me get her rinsed off. I can't tell what is her blood and what isn't."

Edgar and Norman descended on her pulling the shirt off and stripping her down. They rinsed her gently and when all the blood was rinsed off the gash seemed much more manageable.

"Been practicing your stitching?" asked Norman.

"Not recently" said Edgar.

Edgar moved to turn off the shower but Natalie's hand on his arm stopped him.

"I want to wash my hair. I need you to help me wash my hair" she said quietly.

"Um, ok" said Edgar.

"Or better yet just squirt some soap in my hair and I'll do it myself" said Natalie.

Edgar did as he was asked. Natalie washed her hair twice before she turned off the shower and signaled she was ready to get out. Edgar handed her a towel and she wrapped it around her body.

"Thanks" she said quietly and walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey, after you get dressed I need to sew up that cut" called Edgar.

Natalie just nodded in response.

Norman followed her into the stateroom they shared. Natalie bent over her bag and pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Setting the clothes on the bed she debated how she was going to put them on without lifting her sore arms. Norman slipped on a pair of sweats before turning to look at Natalie.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Sure. Why don't you just dress me" said Natalie.

Norman waited a moment to see if Natalie was kidding but when she didn't add anything he moved towards her. Natalie dropped the towel and Norman froze.

"How about we start with the pants" she suggested.

"Roger" said Norman.

He slipped Natalie's yoga pants over her hips before slipping her t-shirt over her head. Carefully Natalie put her arms through and pulled the shirt down over her tummy.

"Thanks" she said tiredly.

"Why don't you lay down in Edgar's bunk, just to rest a little until he gets back" Norman suggested.

"Roger" said Natalie as she all but fell into the bed.

It was dark and the water just continued to pour over the deck. Natalie ran towards Chris's prone body never able to reach him. Natalie woke up with a start at the end of the dream and then after a while fell back asleep. She slept unsoundly through the rest of the trip to Dutch. Edgar managed to dodge a bullet because once the wound was looked at again it clearly didn't need stitches. Placing a few bandages on her side was all that needed to be done. The boat docked at Dutch and the unload began in earnest. Natalie woke hours late and emerged on deck.

"Look who's up?" said Matt.

Natalie smiled weekly as she walked over to Edgar.

"I want to go see Chris" said Natalie firmly.

"He's not here" said Edgar.

"Well of course he's not on the boat, I watched him leave" said Natalie. "I want to see him at the hospital."

"He's at the hospital in Anchorage" said Edgar. "If you want to talk to him ask Jason. He's already gotten an update."

"Thanks" said Natalie practically sprinting in the opposite direction.

She didn't make it off the deck before running into Jason.

"Hi" she said.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you're up" said Jason.

"Thanks" replied Natalie. "How's Chris?"

"Good. Got to Anchorage safely" said Jason.

"How's his arm?" asked Natalie suspiciously.

"It's too soon to tell" said Jason.

"Oh" said Natalie.

"Don't worry, I'll get updates" said Jason.

"Um, let me know if you hear anything else" said Natalie.

She wandered off deck falling into a crumpled heap of sobs on the bench of the galley table.

The offload finally finished and Sig walked back inside. Natalie was still in the same position on the galley bench. He stood over her for a moment before calling the crew up to the wheelhouse. It took a moment for everyone to arrive and in the respite Sig called the Aleutian Hotel. He reached the Discovery crew and found out how Chris was doing. The crew assembled in the wheelhouse, anxiously awaiting Sig's announcements of the spoils of the trip and Chris's update.

"Ok, we've done a pretty good job" announced Sig. "We've caught about 30 percent of our total quota and according to Discovery Chris is doing well."

A small cheer went up from the assembled group. Sig held up his hand to bring everyone back to silence.

"I'm giving you shore leave" began Sig. "But! I have a few requirements."

"Deal" said Jake.

"Wait to see what he's going to ask" said Nick.

"It's simple" began Sig. "I want you to take Natalie out for a night out, a couple of drinks. She deserves a little break from reality, give it to her."

"Roger" chorused everyone.

Everyone was filling out of the wheelhouse when Sig called Edgar back.

"Take care of her" he said. "But make sure she forgets about what happened if only for a little while."

Edgar nodded and walked down the stairs. He passed Jason during the descent.

"Edgar, is Sig available?" he asked.

"If you mean he's up there? Then yes, if he's in the mood to talk, I can't say" said Edgar.

"Ok" said Jason who hesitated on the steps.

"Just go up there" said Edgar.

Back in the galley Matt pulled Natalie by the legs to the edge of the table and then picked her up like she weighed nothing. He carried her down the hall the stateroom she shared with Edgar and Norman.

"Where are we going?" asked Natalie sleepily.

"We're going out, but you need to change" said Matt.

"I don't really want to go anywhere" said Natalie.

"Well, we don't get shore leave very often so we're taking advantage of it and so are you" said Matt.

Natalie sat down on Edgar's bunk trying to ignore the smell of dirty socks that had permeated the air in the room. Norman and Nick were searching through her bag flinging clothes out.

"What do you want to wear?" asked Nick.

"Don't ask her, just pick something" said Matt anxiously.

"Fine" said Nick.

Norman picked out a pair of jeans, t-shirt and a sweater. Natalie had laid back on the bed trying to will the tears to stop. Nick leaned over her and sighed when he saw she was crying.

"Hey, lets change" he said softly.

Natalie nodded and then sat up quietly. Nick helped her slide her shirt over her head and started to replace it with a clean one.

"I need a bra" said Natalie.

"You're wearing one" said Nick.

"I know but I want a nice one" said Natalie.

"Girls are so complicated" said Matt.

"How about this one" said Norman tossing a black bra on her lap.

"It's fine" said Natalie. "I can dress myself."

"Ok, but hurry up. Time is ticking" said Jake.

The guys filed out of the room leaving Natalie leaning against the door for a moment. Taking a huge breath she quickly changed into the clothes the guys picked out for her. She smiled at the t-shirt that Norman selected, it was a shirt she usually used to sleep in and featured a rainbow. Deciding that while it was comfy it wasn't what she wanted to wear out. Grabbing a black shirt she slipped it on along with the sweater and headed out to the deck.

The bar was almost empty when they arrived. Sig was already sitting at a table with a couple of Discovery producers. Natalie's first instinct was to go ask about how Chris was doing but it looked like the conversation was definitely getting heated. The tiny stage in the corner was set up for Karaoke. Natalie eyed the song book for a moment while she stood at the bar waiting for her drink.

"You going to sing?" asked the bartender.

"No, I don't think so" replied Natalie.

"I'll ask you again after a few drinks" said the bartender.

"For your ears sake I hope I don't change my mind" said Natalie.

The bartender smiled and passed the drink across the bar. Natalie took a small sip before turning to find the guys. They weren't too hard to find. Gathered around a table they were swapping fish stories with some of the old timers. Jake waved Natalie over and quickly moved so she was able to slide into his seat.

"What's this pretty lady doing here?" asked Cal, one of the old timers.

"She's just stopping by for a visit" said Edgar.

Natalie looked at him quizzically but Edgar just responded by shrugging.

"How is that wife of yours Edgar" asked Cal. "I hope she's doing well taking care of your little bambinos."

"Antha is fine. Thanks for asking" said Edgar.

"It's a better place for a woman to be" began Cal. "They just prove to be a distraction on boats or here in Dutch. Unless of course they are serving your drink or on their back."

Natalie's eyes widened and her mouth opened to give Cal a piece of her mind when she was interrupted by Sig.

"Cal, nice to see you. Still unmarried?" he said clapping Cal on the shoulder with a less than friendly squeeze.

"Sig, good to see you too."

"I think I just saw Harold outside" said Sig casually.

"That fucker owes me money" said Cal. "See you guys."

"What an asshat" said Natalie when Cal was out of earshot.

"Agreed. Thanks for not hitting him or calling him a name. He runs the steelyard where we get our pots" said Sig.

"I'm glad I could play nice with the neanderthals you call colleagues" said Natalie.

"Lets get you another drink" said Sig. "I know I could use one."

"Before you get one, how's Chris?" asked Natalie.

"He's in surgery" said Sig.

"Ok. Make mine a double" said Natalie.

"Sure" replied Sig.

Natalie was drunk. She sat at a table swaying from side to side listening to the locals singing karaoke. Sig and Edgar were discussing something across the table but Natalie couldn't understand what they were saying. To her everything sounded like it was underwater. A warm hand on her thigh made her look up. Natalie smiled quickly before turning back to the table. She wanted to lay her head down but wasn't sure when the last time the table was cleaned properly.

"You're next" said a voice to her right.

"I'm not singing" said Natalie.

"I know, I wasn't talking to you" said the voice.

Natalie nodded, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

"I'm singing this one for you."

Natalie did her best to focus on the song being sung and after a moment her head cleared just enough to recognize it. Cheap Trick, "I want you to want me". Matt scooted in next to Natalie.

"How are you feeling? You want another drink?" he asked.

"No thanks. I'm done. I'm ready to go after this song. It's dedicated to me" said Natalie with a smile.

"That's sweet. Who's the girl singing it to you?" asked Matt.

"I don't remember her name" said Natalie.

"You can ask Sig, I think he was talking to her earlier" said Matt helpfully.

"Everyone's ready to go" said Nick.

Natalie took half a step and promptly lost her footing. Without pausing Matt scooped her up.

"Now Natalie, there is just one rule for the rest of the night" said Sig. "Don't puke in the cab."

"I don't think there is much chance for that, she is out cold" said Jake.

At two AM Natalie woke with a start, the dream she'd been having was horrible. She was once again out on the deck of the boat only this time everything was so much worse. Waves were flooding the deck causing the pots to slip and slide. Chris was going over the side and she was holding onto his arm but was unable to pull him up. The dream ended with his arm coming off in her hand causing her to scream and wake herself up. Her eyes opened causing her head to spin. She reached her leg down to touch the floor and tipped right out of the bunk. Landing with a thud on the ground.

"I hate this boat" she mumbled.

Climbing to her knees she felt her stomach began to churn. Saying a prayer she quickly bolted to the bathroom.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, I hope you'll continue to read and review the story. I love suggestions. Also, just as an FYI, I'm no longer living in Okinawa, Japan and am perfectly safe stateside.

The sound of a waterfall invaded Natalie's stupor. Her first thought was that she'd left her sound machine on all night. Usually she set the timer but a few times she had forgotten. However, when she moved her arm she hit a hard object and then a soft one. Her tried to open her eyes and she found she couldn't, they'd crusted shut. Lifting her hand to her face she pulled apart one of her eyelids just in time to see a pair of pajama bottoms retreat out of her sight. Opening her other eye she took in her surroundings. She was laying face down in the shower, in a puddle of what she prayed was just water. Taking a quick inventory she found she was still fully dressed and although her face was wet everything else seemed to be dry. Sitting up she was horrified to discover she was sleeping in a puddle of her own vomit. Getting up she locked the bathroom door and then stripped out of her clothes and got into the shower. After she was clean she started cleaning the bathroom, once it was clean she showered again. After almost an hour she emerged from the bathroom in just a towel and headed back to the stateroom. Slipping inside she quickly changed into some clothes before taking her soiled ones out to the washer. She pulled the towels out of the dryer and was pleasantly surprised that most of the blood had washed out of them. Sitting out in the cold morning air she folded the towels and tried to piece together the events of the previous night. She remembered drinking a few toasts to Chris, finding out a new producer would be on the boat today and then listening to karaoke. There are brief flashes of a cab ride, getting onto the boat, falling out of bed and bad dreams. Natalie shook her head to clear her thoughts and immediately saw stars. She was forced to sit down for a moment and take a few cleansing breaths before she was able to stand up and go inside. The boat is quiet, everyone seemed to still be asleep even though it was already past 10 in the morning. Natalie decided the best course of action was to start breakfast. She grabbed the essentials and started to cook. As if drawn out by the pied piper's flute the crew begins to assemble in the kitchen. Natalie smiles softly at each one but doesn't say a word. There is no singing show this morning much to everyone's disappointment. When the last plate is set on the table Natalie notices Sig hasn't come down.

"Where's Sig?" she asks.

"Probably still in bed" said Edgar.

"I'll get him" volunteers Natalie.

Walking up to Sig's stateroom she quietly knocks on the door. When no answer is received she cracks the door and peeks in. The room is surprisingly dark and once her eyes adjust she sees Sig asleep in bed in just a pair of low slung sweatpants. Padding over to the bed she sits down next to his sleeping form.

"Breakfast is ready" Natalie says quietly.

"What time is it?" mumbles Sig, his eyes still closed.

"It's after 10" replies Natalie.

"Has the new producer shown up yet?" he asks.

"No" said Natalie.

"Fuck, we are burning daylight and wasting a days fishing waiting for whoever it is to grace us with their presence" said Sig angrily.

Natalie had to give Sig credit, he could sound incredibly vicious even with his eyes closed.

"What's for breakfast?" asked Sig.

"Bacon and eggs with some toast" said Natalie.

"Smells good" said Sig.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

Sig got up and made his way to his small private bathroom. Natalie looked down at the recently vacated bed, the rumpled sheets and mushed pillow. It looked so inviting and Natalie's head was still hurting. Without a conscious thought she lay down in the still sleep warmed sheets and snuggled into the pillow. Taking a deep breath she inhaled the unique scent that was all Sig. In that moment she felt better, safe and well protected. She closed her eyes and let herself be wrapped up in the warm feeling. She was asleep by the time Sig walked out of the bathroom. Sig looked down at her sleeping form and smiled at the look on her face, she was completely at peace. Deciding that he didn't want to wake her he carefully covered her with a blanket and went down for breakfast.

Sig walked into the kitchen and found two slices of bacon and a small pile of eggs saved for him. Every member of the crew was looking a little worse for wear. They were suppose to be ready to leave as soon as the new Discovery producer arrived.

"Where's Natalie?" asked Edgar.

"She's sleeping" replied Sig.

"Where?" asked Edgar.

"In my bed" said Sig.

The eyebrows of every guy at the table went up. Sig looked at each of them in turn, daring them to ask a follow up question.

"I'm not surprised" said Matt.

"Why's that?" asked Jake.

"Because I saw her sleeping in the shower this morning passed out like a rock star in a pool of her own puke" said Matt.

"No way" said Jake. "The bathroom is completely clean."

"She must have cleaned it when she woke up" said Matt simply.

"No wonder she's tired, the bathroom is spotless" said Jake.

"Yeah, well she's fine to sleep as long as she wants to, but we need to get going as soon as Jason and the new guy get here" said Sig.

"Who's the new guy?" asked Jake.

"Does it matter? His name is Bishop" said Sig.

"Never heard of him" said Edgar.

"Probably someone new, which means we'll need to keep a closer eye on him. No more accidents" said Sig.

"Roger" said the crew.

"Did we restock the fresh food yesterday?" asked Sig.

"No, but Natalie has her list" said Nick.

"Alright, lets get the stuff on her list quick. Who knows when the new kid is going to arrive" said Sig.

"Should we ask Natalie if she wants to go?" asked Nick.

"Let her sleep, she's tired" said Sig.

"The stuff we ordered for her arrived this morning" said Edgar conversationally.

"Good, put it on her bunk" said Sig.

The impromptu meeting seemed to be over and everyone got up to start on their tasks. Nick and Matt headed to the grocery store while everyone else made sure the boat was ready to go.

Natalie woke up warm and content a few hours after she'd first laid down. She snuggled into the pillow taking in lung full after lung full of the wonderful smell. The room was still dark but the shadows cast through the breaks in the curtains showed that a fair amount of time had passed. She stretched languidly and took another deep inhale of the pillow.

"If you keep breathing like that you are going to hyperventilate" said a voice from the corner.

Natalie yelped and turned to see Sig rummaging through one of his seabags. She smiled sheepishly, not saying a word.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Sig.

"Yes, much" said Natalie.

"You missed lunch, but I think Matt saved something for you" said Sig.

"Ok. I'm starving" said Natalie. "Have we started back to the crab grounds yet?"

"No, still in port" said Sig, his voice full of annoyance.

"What's the problem?" asked Natalie. "Is it because I didn't do the grocery shopping?"

"You are definitely not the problem. We are waiting for the new producer to arrive" said Sig. "They were suppose to be here first thing this morning. We've lost a full day."

Natalie noticed Sig rubbing his forehead. She got untangled from the bed sheets and went over to where he was kneeling on the ground. Standing behind him she placed her hands in the now familiar position on his temples. The massage was a staple in Sig's day while they were out on the water, however he hadn't had a headache while in port. Natalie's fingers slid through Sig's hairline massaging his scalp. Sig leaned back until he was resting his weight against Natalie's torso. He could feel her breasts pressing against his neck like a perfect support. Her body was still warm from sleeping and its heat radiated through her thin tank top. Sig felt as if he could drift off to sleep using only her soft breasts as pillows. The moment was broken by a commotion downstairs. The boat phone in Sig's room rang and Natalie moved so Sig could answer it.

"What" said Sig.

"Fine, I'm on my way" he continued after a pause.

Natalie had started to straighten up the bed when Sig grabbed her by the arm.

"Come on, the new producer is here, lets go say hello."

Sig walked through the galley and onto the deck. Edgar had said the new producer was here and that Sig should come out. Usually Sig liked to meet any new person in the wheelhouse, it was a little bit of psychology. He liked to meet them on his home turf, the place that showed he was the boss. The scene on the deck was almost comical. When Sig walked out on deck no one would meet his eye. He scanned the deck for the newest crew member and when his eyes fell on a girl in leather printed pants and a black shirt his stomach dropped and his blood started to boil. Before he could take a breath the girl walked up to him and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Bishop" she said thrusting her hand into his. "I'm taking over for Chis, I'm usually a line producer but I can handle anything. My last assignment was doing B-roll for Bear Grylls."

Her eyes slid past Sig to Natalie who was still standing under the shelter awning next to the bait bin.

"Hey Natalie" said Bishop. "Remember me from last night?"

Natalie just shrugged her shoulders, unable to find her voice. Hearing this Sig spun around and glared at Natalie.

"Did you do this?" he asked angrily.

Natalie shook her head, eyes wide with fear.

"We just met last night at the bar. I sang her a song" said Bishop with a wink.

Natalie felt like her whole world had just tilted on it's axis.

"Jason" barked Sig. "You couldn't figure out that we don't need another girl on this boat."

"Sorry Sig" said Jason. "I tried to reason with them."

"It'll be fine, I'm a consummate professional" said Bishop. "Natalie, show me where we'll be sleeping."

With that statement Bishop all but dragged Natalie inside. The guys on deck watched the girls retreating forms.

"Did she just say we?" said Matt.

"We are in a for a shit load of trouble" said Nick.

Bishop stopped suddenly after dragging Natalie inside. It took Natalie a moment to realize why, Bishop didn't know where she was going. Natalie jerked her arm to the right and Bishop took the hint and started down the narrow hallway. She kept going until they reached the room at the end of the hall and Natalie stepped forward to open the door.

"Wow, this is tiny" said Bishop.

"Yeah, mines the top" said Natalie.

Bishop climbed up and assessed the bunk for a moment before hopping down.

"Cozy" she commented. "Are these for me?"

"What?" asked Natalie.

"The rain gear" replied Bishop holding out some gear. "Because I already have some."

"Um, I don't think so. Maybe they're for me" said Natalie. "They kind of rigged some together for me on the last trip."

"Cool, you should try them on" said Bishop.

"Yeah, maybe later" said Natalie. "Um, Bishop..."

"You don't have to call me that" said Bishop. "My real name is Lindsey. You can call me Linz."

"Lindsey's a pretty name, why don't you go by that?" asked Natalie.

"I'm from Bishop, California. So when I was in college I got that nickname and it just kind of stuck. Kind of manly, you know" said Bishop.

"Yeah, it sure tricked Sig" said Natalie.

Bishop just smiled while she shrugged her shoulders.

"So tell me Natalie, how did you get sucked into this little petri dish?" asked Bishop.

"I'm here for Edgar's and everyone else's health" said Natalie. "Physical therapy."

Bishop was unpacking her bag, mixing her clothes in with where Natalie's were kept. Natalie watched in a state of confusion wondering what the point was. Finally Bishop finished doing her unpacking and opened the door to walk out. Before she left she turned back to Natalie and kissed her. Natalie was shocked, her lips staying sealed shut. Bishop turned and walked out of the room leaving a stunned Natalie to face a very inquisitive Edgar.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I have no idea" said Natalie wiping her mouth.

"Did you try on your gear?" asked Edgar.

"No. I didn't know if it was for me" said Natalie.

"Well it's not for the new girl" said Edgar. "Try it on."

Natalie slipped the pants and jacket over her clothes and did a little twirl to show the fit.

"Looks good" said Edgar. "Now there is no excuse for you not to be out on deck."

"I have no interest in ever being on deck again" said Natalie.

As if to emphasize her point she stuffed the gear into Edgar's bunk and walked out of the room.

"Hey, don't go" said Edgar grabbing her arm.

"Why?" countered Natalie.

"Because I need to know if you knew anything about Bishop coming on this boat" said Edgar seriously.

"I swear to you, I don't even remember meeting her last night" said Natalie.

Edgar studied her face for a moment before nodding his belief.

The sound of Sig's voice echoed through the Northwestern. He wasn't on the hailer, but it sounded like he was. Natalie, Bishop and the rest of the crew sat in the galley listening to every word being spewed out to Jason and whoever Sig was taking to on the phone.

"I don't care who made the decision. It was wrong! I don't know how many pussies you think we need on this boat..."

"No the answer is none! You are lucky I have crab to catch or else you'd be talking to me through a ventilator bag..."

"Ok, here's the deal. I'll take her out, but you better have a new producer with a dick and a strong stomach by the time I get back. You have a week" yelled Sig.

The crew in the galley stifled their laughter at Sig's ultimatum. Bishop smiled saucily at each member of the crew before she moved to walk up to the wheelhouse. Natalie stood immediately to stop her.

"Don't do it" she said.

"I can handle him" Bishop boasted.

"I'm sure you can, but you don't want to right now. It's not worth it, no matter what you said he's going to hate you" pleaded Natalie.

"Ok, I'll just stay with you" said Bishop cupping Natalie's cheek.

She threaded her hand through Natalie's and drew her back to the bench seat. Natalie struggled to extricate her hand from Bishop's to no avail. Sig appeared a moment later.

"We're going, get ready to cast off."

"You" said Sig to Bishop. "Get your camera, you're going to want to start doing some sort of work."

Everyone scattered leaving Natalie sitting in the booth facing Sig.

"Well, why don't you come with me" suggested Sig.

"Roger" said Natalie.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Quick turn around, hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review.

Sig glowered out the window the entire way back to the grounds. No one took a wheel watch because no one wanted to ask Sig if he needed a break. Anger and menace hung around Sig like a cloud, he was completely unapproachable. Bishop spent the time getting use to shooting on a rolling deck and leaning how day to day scheduling was done. Natalie did her best to distance herself from Bishop but it was all but impossible on the small boat. They saw each other in the galley and in the tiny stateroom. So far they hadn't slept in the same bed at the same time, but Natalie knew it wouldn't be that way forever. The feeling on the boat was one of unease, everyone was walking around on tenterhooks waiting for Sig to explode.

Natalie stood in the kitchen stirring a béchamel sauce for lasagna. Edgar and Norman were playing x-box while Jake and Nick played cards. Matt was sitting on the counter watching Natalie cook. Jason and Bishop were arguing in the hallway. While everyone looked nonchalant, their ears were straining to hear every word.

"I don't care that you've been with them longer" said Bishop. "I want to do the captain interviews."

"Bishop, I don't think it's a good idea" began Jason.

"It's a great idea" said Bishop cutting off Jason.

"Sig hates you, all you are going to get on film is him yelling about you being on the boat" said Jason simply.

"I can win him over" said Bishop confidently.

"Oh yeah? How?" countered Jason.

"I have my ways" said Bishop with a giggle.

Matt shook his head at her statement, knowing Sig hated Bishop and no amount of giggling was going to change his mind.

"I've worked on deck for two years with these guys, I know their likes and dislikes. I know how to stay out of the way and be careful out on deck" said Jason. "I think you'll be physically safer in the wheelhouse but Sig is going to fuck with you every second you're up there. Lets both do the deck shots and let the Captain cam film him."

"What about interviews?" said Bishop. "It's those question and answer segments that make the show."

"Fine, if you want to do that then fine" said Jason resignedly. "It's your funeral."

Jason walked into the galley and everyone turned back to what they were doing. He sat down heavily on the bench seat and sighed.

"You did all you could to warn her" said Nick.

"He's going to filet her alive" said Jason.

"Maybe she's into pain" suggested Edgar.

"Who knows, maybe she'll win him over" said Jason.

"Yeah right" muttered Matt.

"What do you think Natalie?" asked Jason.

"I have no opinion" said Natalie diplomatically.

"I need more coffee up here" bellowed Sig's from the wheelhouse.

Natalie looked around for a volunteer but when everyone averted their eyes she knew it was going to fall to her to enter the beast's lair.

She started to boil the water for the french press when she realized it was upstairs.

"Crap" she muttered and gingerly walked out of the kitchen.

There was a stench of BO and anger in the wheelhouse when Natalie entered. A pungent cloud of cigarette smoke enclosed the captain's chair. Sig didn't take his eyes off the front window until Natalie had returned with the french press full of fresh coffee. After she set it down and began her retreat he stopped her.

"Don't go yet" he snapped.

Natalie sighed but obediently moved to sit on the bench behind him.

"I can't stay long, I'm making lasagna for dinner" said Natalie.

"A nice last meal before the grind begins" said Sig.

"Yeah" replied Natalie.

"You want a cigarette?" asked Sig offering her the pack.

"No thanks" said Natalie.

"That's right, you don't smoke" said Sig. "I bet you'll start by the end of the season."

"I doubt it" said Natalie.

"You want to bet?" asked Sig.

"No thanks" said Natalie. "I can't imagine what the stakes would be."

"Where has she been sleeping?" asked Sig casually.

"You mean Bishop?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" muttered Sig.

"She's been sleeping in my bunk" said Natalie.

"Having pillow fights and braiding each other's hair?" spat Sig.

"Not yet, but the trip's still young" quipped Natalie.

Sig shook his head and began to mutter to himself about the complete insanity of having not one but two girls on the boat. He cursed the Discovery channel and then Edgar's bad back. Natalie walked out before her name was mentioned.

Back in the kitchen everyone was awaiting her report on how Sig was feeling. Before she got a word out Bishop grabbed her arm and started to pull her towards the staterooms. Natalie held her ground and stopped.

"I need to get the lasagna in the oven" she said firmly.

"Matt will do it for you" said Bishop.

"No, it's my job" said Natalie trying to extract her hand.

"Fine, but hurry up" said Bishop. "I want to talk to you."

She flitted down the hallway and Natalie turned back to the kitchen.

"Careful she's pushy" said Jason.

"Yeah, I see that" said Natalie.

"How's Sig?" asked Edgar.

"Grumpy" replied Natalie.

"Did you cheer him up?" asked Edgar.

"Nope, if anything I probably made it worse" said Natalie. "When I left he was cursing your bad back."

"Nice" said Edgar with a smile. "He's going to be a bear to work with this trip."

"Yeah, we're going to turn and burn until we get the boat stuffed so we can get back to town and drop off Bishop" said Matt.

"No joke" said Jason. "I hope the guys in town are scrambling to get someone new."

"If they aren't you'll probably be shooting solo on the next trip" said Jake.

"Nah, I'll give Bug a camera and she can shoot with me" said Jason.

"No thanks" said Natalie.

"Why not?" asked Edgar. "You got the gear."

"Yeah are you going to model your new rain gear for us?" asked Matt.

"Maybe later" said Natalie.

"She can't right now because she has a date with Bishop" said Jake.

"That's right. We are going to braid each other's hair and have a pillow fight" said Natalie.

"Naked pillow fight?" asked Jake.

"Possibly" said Natalie with a wink.

"Hurry up with your lasagna then" said Jake.

"Yeah, need some help?" offered Matt.

"No" said Natalie. "Don't you guys have some video games to play or something?"

"Nothing more pressing than a naked girl pillow fight" said Matt.

"You guys are impossible" said Natalie.

She finished assembling her lasagna and placed it in the oven. Setting a timer she shoved it into her pocket and headed for the stateroom and Bishop.

The first thing Natalie saw when she walked into the stateroom was Bishop sprawled out on Edgar's bunk in a tiny pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. Granted the staterooms were always kept warm but not warm enough to warrant that type of outfit. Spread out on the bed were a collection of notebooks all full of messy scribbles. Natalie closed the door and Bishop looked up from her notes.

"You're finally here" she said with a smile.

"Yep" replied Natalie. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Sig" said Bishop.

"What about him?" asked Natalie warily.

"What does he like? What makes him happy?" asked Bishop.

"He likes chocolate, coffee and full pots of crab" said Natalie.

"Ok. Good to know" said Bishop scribbling in her notebook.

"Anything else?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah, do you think you're going to be out on deck at all?" asked Bishop.

"Hopefully not" said Natalie. "But they bought me that gear so I could be."

"I want to be out there when you are" said Bishop.

"Where are you going to be the rest of the time?" asked Natalie.

"Interviewing with Sig" said Bishop.

"Linz, I definitely think you should be careful up there. He can be mean" said Natalie seriously.

"I'm going to win him over, just wait and see" said Bishop confidently.

"How do you know?" asked Natalie.

"Because men are all the same" said Bishop confidently.

Natalie raised her eyebrow in a silent question.

"Men are all the same, they like to feel like they are in control" said Bishop. "They like to be complimented, told they are full of virility and power."

Natalie couldn't dispute her logic but she couldn't imagine Sig falling for compliments on his virility. But who knows.

"I wish you lots of luck" said Natalie encouragingly.

"Thanks" said Bishop.

The door opened and a very curious Norman walked into the room. He took in the girls position on the bed and what Bishop was wearing.

"Hi ladies" he said happily.

"Hi Norman" said Bishop. "I thought rumors that you actually spoke were highly exaggerated."

"I speak, when there is someone worth talking to" said Norman.

Natalie rolled her eyes at what was passing for flirting on this boat. She got up to leave the two flirters alone but Bishop caught her by the waistband of her pants pulling them down slightly.

"Ah the naked pillow fight is starting" said Norman.

"Naked pillow fight?" asked Bishop.

"Yep, Natalie said that's what she was coming back here to do" said Norman.

"Well if that's what she promised" said Bishop pulling Natalie's pants down farther.

"Linz, you are impossible" said Natalie. "I'm sure Norman is more than willing to get naked with you."

"Don't bring me into this" said Norman.

"Oh why not?" asked Bishop. "We need someone strong to act as referee."

Norman smiled broadly at the compliment. Natalie took a step back and pried Bishop's fingers from her pants. Then quickly picked up a pillow and smacked her as hard as she could across the side of the face.

"Oh you bitch, you're dead" said Bishop.

She grabbed the pillow off of Edgar's bed and swung. Natalie deftly ducked and scurried behind Norman. The room was tiny and before she knew it Natalie was pinned in the corner behind a stack of sea bags. Bishop stood over here breathing heavily and wailing the pillow as hard as she could. Norman stood behind Bishop watching the carnage. He decided he'd intervene when blood was drawn. All the physical activity was causing Bishop's tiny tank top to shift and before long a nipple had appeared. Natalie looked up in an attempt to see a way out of the corner. She noticed Bishop's little nipple slip and decided that was her escape ticket.

"Linz, your boob is showing" said Natalie.

Bishop stopped for a moment and looked down, that was all the time Natalie needed to bolt out of the corner and out of the room.

"That tricky bitch" said Bishop turning towards the door.

Her movement gave Norman a full view of her breast and when she saw him looking she smiled devilishly. In her mind winning over the crew was going to be easier than she thought.

Natalie ran breathlessly into the galley. Everyone at the table looked up, her hair was a complete mess and her clothes were slightly askew. She walked through to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, downing it in one gulp. After catching her breath she went to the oven and glanced at her lasagna. Edgar looked at her back as she bent down and noticed a huge red welt.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

"Pillow fight" replied Natalie.

"No seriously" said Edgar. "You have a huge red mark on your back."

"I am serious, it was a pillow fight" said Natalie. "She got me pinned in a corner, I probably hit my back on something. Ask Norman, he was there."

She closed the oven door and looked at the clock. Deciding that she probably needed to start making the garlic bread and salad for dinner she began to pull stuff out of the fridge.

"Where is Norman?" asked Matt.

"He's in the room with Lindsay" said Natalie.

"Who?" asked Matt.

"Sorry, Bishop. He's in the room with Bishop" said Natalie.

"Her name is Lindsay?" asked Edgar. "When did you find that out?"

"When I showed her the stateroom" replied Natalie.

"Interesting, why does she go by Bishop?" asked Jake.

"She's from Bishop, California. She got the nickname in college and it just stuck" said Natalie.

"Are you telling my story?" asked Bishop as she appeared in the galley.

Norman trailed behind her with a broad smile on his face. Natalie wondered what the smile was from and then dismissed her train of thought. It wasn't her business. Bishop had put on some pants but the little tank top still made quite an impression on the crew. Natalie finished making dinner and when everyone was seated she went upstairs to get Sig.

A few hours later the Northwestern arrived at their first set of pots. The town soak usually yielded a good catch, however the pots weren't full enough for Sig and he decided they should be stacked on deck. Each pot pulled was stacked on deck until all 50 pots were on board. Sig ordered the stack tied down tight, they were heading into some weather. Despite the lack of good numbers the crew was in a jovial mood watching Natalie skid around the sorting table. Natalie had been out on deck to help sort a few pots of crab before going back inside to make a meal. The weather was starting to come up and the liquid in the pots on the stove was already starting to slosh. When the pot roast was in the oven she slipped up to the wheelhouse to check on Sig and Bishop.

Walking into the room the first thing she noticed was the silence. Bishop was scribbling in her notebook while her camera sat on a tripod pointed out the front windows. Sig caught Natalie's eyes and signaled he wanted more coffee.

"Are we not allowed to talk up here?" she asked.

"No, he hasn't said a word since I got up here" said Bishop casually.

"Sounds like a fun couple of hours" said Natalie.

She reached over to grab the french press and turned to leave. Sig caught her arm and pulled her down until her ear was next to his mouth.

"Get her out of here" he whispered.

Natalie nodded and stood up.

"Bishop, you want to go to the kitchen and make out?" asked Natalie.

Sig's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline and Bishop's head snapped up to study Natalie's face. Natalie winked.

"Sure" replied Bishop with a saucy smile.

Sig watched the girls walk out of his wheelhouse hand and hand.

"God I hate my life" he muttered.

All he could think of was that he needed to stuff this boat and get back to town. Natalie reappeared with a french press full of coffee and a clean mug. As a peace offering there was a bar of chocolate.

"What's this for" asked Sig.

"Just something to make you feel better" said Natalie.

"Can you rub my shoulders?" asked Sig.

"Sure" said Natalie.

She squeezed his tight muscles shocked at how tense they were. Even on his worst day she'd never felt such hard muscles.

"I know this is going to fall on deaf ears but try to relax" said Natalie.

"I can't relax, she's driving me crazy. I don't need more girls on this boat. I need her off" said Sig.

"Do you want me to throw her overboard?" asked Natalie.

Sig chuckled and Natalie felt his body relax. Deciding this was probably the best way to help Sig release his tension she continued chatting.

"See I told you I'm loyal" said Natalie.

"Yes, you talk the talk but can you walk the walk?" asked Sig.

"I guess we could grind her up in the bait chopper" said Natalie.

"I wonder if the crabs like ground up girls" said Sig.

"It could be new bait for the boat" said Natalie.

"Right, we could put you in charge of getting the girls" said Sig.

"We should see if it works first" said Natalie.

"Seriously though, I can't stand having her up here" said Sig.

"She's just another person. The only difference is that she has a vagina instead of a penis" said Natalie.

"Did you just say vagina in my wheelhouse?" said Sig in shock.

"What? Is that another word we're not allowed to say on the boat?" said Natalie in annoyance.

"No, it's just the first time I've ever heard that word in here. But seriously don't say it again" said Sig.

"Vagina" said Natalie.

"Seriously, Natalie" said Sig.

"Vagina, Vagina, Vagina" said Natalie in a sing song voice.

She repeated the word all the way down the stairs.

Bishop was out on deck switching places with Jason for the next string. The uncomfortable hours in the wheelhouse had convinced her that a different tactic needed to be tried to win over the reluctant skipper. She'd asked Natalie to come out with her and Natalie reluctantly agreed. Natalie slipped back into her rain gear and took her standard place at the sorting table. Edgar approached her to check her gear and then handed her a knife belt and a knife.

"It's the most important thing you can wear on the deck" said Edgar seriously.

"What am I suppose to do with it?" asked Natalie.

"If you or anyone else is stuck in the bite" began Edgar but stopped when he saw the confused look on Natalie's face. "The rope, if anyone is caught in the rope cut it with the knife."

"Ok" said Natalie. "Can I stab you with it if you get mouthy?"

"You could, but trust me when I say I'd get you back two fold" said Edgar.

"Would you put me in the bait chipper?" asked Natalie.

"No" said Edgar in surprise.

"Just wondering" said Natalie with a smile.

"Alright, lets get to work" said Edgar.

"Roger" said Natalie.

The pots were filled and Sig decided to set back before moving on to his eastern most string. Natalie got a new job, hanging bait in each of the pots. She was soaked to the bone before she got through 5 pots. Everyone on deck was surprised by the way she worked, her commitment to the cause was admirable. In the crews eyes her worth just went up. While Natalie's worth was on the rise, Bishop's continued to go down. She was constantly in the way and by hour 8 on deck it had become clear that the crew preferred her up with Sig.

"Bishop, you can't stand there" repeated Edgar.

Bishop blew the hair out of her face and moved back to the bait station.

"I swear there is no where on this deck I can stand without getting yelled at" she muttered.

"Just stay with me" said Natalie. "We're almost done with this string and then it's dinner time."

"Thanks" said Bishop, giving Natalie a hug.

"Bug, stop making out with your girlfriend and bait this pot" yelled Edgar.

"Roger" yelled Natalie as she hurried to comply.

Once the final pot splashed into the water, everyone hurried to clean up and get inside. Natalie had gone in a few pots early and had just finished setting the food on the table when the weary crew walked in. Dinner was eaten in a strange silence and Edgar volunteered to take the first wheel watch.

The crew disappeared into their bunks and Natalie began to make her rounds. Matt had a shoulder issue that she suspected was a rotator cuff problem that could be fixed with physical therapy and a couple months away from the fishing grind. But since neither of those options were available she gave him a long massage with some liniment. Jake got a nice foot massage after Natalie extracted an ingrown toenail with a pair of pliers. The guys never failed to surprise her with their toughness. She bandaged up his foot and told him he would need to soak in epsom salts before gearing up for the next shift on deck. Nick had a pain in his thumb. Natalie rubbed it for a bit and then splinted it for the night to help with the pain. She walked down the hall to her stateroom to look for Norman. She found him passed out face down in his bunk. Deciding a back massage wouldn't be remiss she slid her hands over his back and began rubbing his muscles. Norman groaned into his pillow for a few minutes before asking her to concentrate of his lower back. After a while he drifted off into deep sleep and Natalie covered him with a blanket before she left the room. There were only two more people she needed to see before she could tuck herself into bed.

Sig was laying in bed listening to his ipod when Natalie knocked on his door. When he didn't answer she admitted herself into the room and padded quietly over to the bed. She was surprised to see him awake since he was almost falling asleep at the table turing dinner.

"Hi" said Natalie quietly. "Need a head rub?"

"Sure" said Sig. "But don't expect it to help, this headache won't go away until she's off the boat."

"Then I guess you should load the boat faster" said Natalie.

"Shut up" said Sig. "I thought you were going to put her in the bait chipper for me."

"She's bigger than me. Although Edgar did give me a knife today on deck, so maybe I could hack her into pieces first" said Natalie.

"You are a complete psychopath" said Sig.

"Sit up so I can get behind you" said Natalie.

"I don't know if I should after all you have a knife" said Sig.

"It's still with my rain gear so you're safe" said Natalie.

Sig shifted on the bed and Natalie scooted behind him. She leaned against the wall and pulled Sig back so she could reach his temples. He nestled into her chest and closed his eyes.

"What are you listening to?" asked Natalie.

"The Stooges" replied Sig.

Natalie smiled to herself and continued her massage. Her fingers slipped through the soft hair at his temples soothing him into a state of total relaxation. Sig leaned harder into her the more he relaxed. Natalie shifted slightly so Sig wasn't compressing her chest.

"Sig, you're squishing me" said Natalie.

"Sorry honey" he said in a sleepy voice.

Natalie ignored the moniker and continued what she was doing. Sig mumbled a little as he drifted into sleep. When he was finally fast asleep Natalie extricated herself from underneath his dead weight and tucked him in. She stroked her hand over his furrowed brow and wished him a night without worry.

Last stop was just a few feet away from Sig's stateroom, the wheelhouse. Natalie padded in and was surprised to see Bishop manning the camera in just her bra and panties. Natalie stepped back into the doorway and waited to find out what was going on.

"Ok Edgar, here's another one" said Natalie. "Sig's favorite vacation spot."

"That's worth at least your bra" said Edgar.

"Why's that?" asked Bishop.

"Because if you really want to make him hate you less you could tell him you're going to take him there" said Edgar.

"Could I afford to take him there?" asked Bishop.

"Possibly, I don't know how much you people make" said Edgar.

"We people make far less than you people" replied Bishop.

Bishop pulled down one side of the bra waiting for Edgar to tell her the answer she wanted.

"His favorite vacation spot is Norway, when we visit family. But if not there then somewhere warm and relaxing" said Edgar.

Bishop nodded and pulled the bra off tossing it on the pile with her other clothes. Natalie didn't know what to do, the little strip tease seemed completely inappropriate. Her first thought was what Sig would do if he saw this, the next thought was of Antha and what her husband was doing. Deciding to interrupt before it got any farther she walked into the room.

"Hey" she said.

Edgar looked mildly shocked but did nothing to cover Bishop up. They were separated by the monitors and other than the fact that there was a half naked woman in the same room he didn't seem to have done anything wrong. Bishop immediately gave Natalie a hug, crushing her naked breasts into Natalie's chest.

"Hey Linz" said Natalie. "Whatcha doing?"

"Getting Edgar to help me win Sig over" said Bishop.

"I think you could probably just take your top off for Sig and be done with it" said Natalie.

"This way was more fun" said Bishop.

Edgar stayed completely silent through the whole exchange.

"How's Sig?" asked Bishop.

"He's asleep" said Natalie.

A wave crashed against the bow and splattered the windows with water. The reminder that the weather was coming up was enough to get Bishop to put her clothes back on.

"Alright, I have some editing to do, I'll be back a little later" said Bishop and she flitted out of the wheelhouse.

The moment she was out of earshot Natalie rounded on Edgar.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"Nothing, it was her idea" said Edgar. "I didn't think she was going to actually take all her clothes off. I was calling her bluff."

"Right" said Natalie snidely.

"Nothing was going to happen. I love Antha and my family way to much to do anything to jeopardize that" said Edgar seriously.

"You don't think she'd mind that you were in a room with a topless girl?" asked Natalie.

"Like a strip club? Probably not" said Edgar.

Natalie considered his logic and had to admit that it probably wasn't a deal breaker. But if this was how Bishop was going to be on the boat then Natalie had to admit that Sig was right to want her off the boat.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They motivate me to update faster.

The next few days found the crew hunkering down inside while hurricane force winds pounded the boat. Sig was jogging in 30 foot seas riding out the storm before fishing could resume. Since they were on the edge of the crab grounds there was no way to run and take cover behind an island. Instead the Northwestern would do it's best to ride out the storm as safely as possible. The pitch and roll of the boat was almost soothing and Natalie had a hard time staying awake. With the break in the fishing came more time for interviews. Bishop made her way to each of the staterooms asking the guys why they got into fishing and why they continue to come back year after year. In the wheelhouse Sig watched the boat sail up and over each massive wave. He'd sent the crew out to double check the small stack of pots. Ideally he would ditch them but he didn't want to risk sending the crew out on deck for an extended amount of time. The sound of feet on the stairs made him tense, he hadn't seen Bishop except for meals since he gave her the silent treatment a few days ago. Deciding it would just be easier if he ignored who ever was coming in he continued to stare out the front windows. The hand set the french press down and Sig snuck a glance at it. For all the times Natalie had touched him he had no idea what her hands looked like. Next to the coffee was a slab of chocolate.

"Thank you" said Sig.

"You're welcome" replied Bishop's voice.

Sig cringed and his hackles went up. He couldn't believe that this girl was trying to bribe him with chocolate.

"Come on Bishop, I want to take a nap. Just put down the coffee and come back down" called Natalie's voice from downstairs.

"Coming" said Bishop.

Sig was disappointed that Natalie hadn't delivered his coffee but knowing that she had probably fixed it for him made him feel slightly better. Bishop stopped just before going downstairs.

"Do you think I could interview you a little later?" she asked quietly.

"I'll think about it" replied Sig.

Bishop and Natalie walked into the stateroom and climbed into the small bunk. Norman and Edgar were sitting in their bunks reading mail. Neither said anything when the girls entered the room or when they got into bed together. They didn't need to, the expression on their faces said it all. Bishop curled around Natalie placing her hand over her stomach. The space was tight and although she wanted to object Natalie was too tired to care, all she wanted was to do was sleep. A moment or two later Norman could hear the quiet snuffling he'd become familiar with, it signaled Natalie was in deep sleep. He and Edgar could see the girls reflection in the mirror on the wall. As Norman looked up he could see Bishop looking at him in the mirror. She smiled seductively and slipped her hand under Natalie's shirt lifting it to expose her tummy. Norman's eyes widened and he wondered what the hell Bishop was playing at. Norman's eyes shifted and he realized that Edgar was probably seeing the same thing he was. Bishop rubbed her hands up and down Natalie's soft skin. Natalie didn't react, she was still asleep. Emboldened by her audience Bishop reached up under the shirt and stroked Natalie's breast. She caressed her nipple bringing it to a stiff peak. This move made Norman and Edgar lean forward. Both knew the shit that would happen if Natalie woke up, but they were going to enjoy the show while it lasted. Bishop pulled up Natalie's shirt in an attempt to expose her breasts but the shirt was wedged under Natalie's prone body. Before Bishop was able to pull it all the way up Natalie rolled over, effectively ending the show. In response Norman winked at Bishop in the mirror and then got up and left the room. Bishop untangled herself from the blanket and slipped out the door less than a minute after Norman. Edgar smirked to himself, at least someone on the boat was getting some. His attention was drawn to Natalie's sleeping form, he felt guilty that she'd been used without her knowledge. She turned again, this time facing out, Edgar studied her angelic face and felt a tremendous weight settle over him.

Natalie sat in the wheelhouse half listening to Sig rant about the weather coming down and ruining his fishing. The weather had gotten better after Sig had turned tail from the fishing grounds in an effort to get away from the brunt of the storm's fury. The waves were still huge and the stationary camera set up by Bishop was capturing each and every one. Sig was fairly sure the deck was a mess but he feared sending anyone outside to asses the damage. Dinner was on the table but Sig couldn't pull himself away from driving the boat to eat. Natalie had brought him a plate, but he was too busy to eat.

"I need you to sit here while I eat" said Sig.

"I'm not comfortable with that" said Natalie.

"Just sit, I have to take a piss and I'm hungry" replied Sig grumpily.

"I will if you do your interviews with Bishop" said Natalie.

"You manipulating..." began Sig.

"Just a yes or no, I don't need the commentary" interrupted Natalie.

"Fine" said Sig getting out the chair.

Natalie slipped into the seat and watched as a large wave blew past the windows. Sig hurried to his stateroom to pee and then returned to eat his food. He sat on the bench seat behind the captain's chair watching Natalie.

"You need to push the throttle to get up this wave" said Sig conversationally.

When Natalie didn't immediately do what he'd said he got up and grabbed her hand. He placed it on the throttle and pushed it forward until the boat had cleared the wave. Then he pulled it back.

"Do I have to do that for each wave?" asked Natalie.

"Probably" said Sig. "I'll let you know."

"Can you take my picture?" asked Natalie.

"Why?" asked Sig.

"Because, I'm driving a boat" she replied. "I've never done this before."

"Well you look good doing it" said Sig with a laugh.

Just then a huge wave came up and Sig watched as Natalie throttled the boat through it like a pro. He was confident that once she learned to use the radar she could probably sit through a wheel watch or two.

"Hey, are you done eating yet?" asked Natalie.

"Tired of sitting in the big chair already?" quipped Sig.

"Yes" replied Natalie. "Besides I have to go tell Bishop about her interviews."

"Fine" said Sig.

Natalie flounced out of the wheelhouse in search of Bishop.

The storm had calmed and Sig began the slow steam back to his strings. The attempt to outrun the storm had put them a half a day's steam away from their pots. The waves were still big but manageable. The crew was out on deck cleaning up and getting ahead on bait set ups. Natalie was out with the guys slashing and stringing cod. Bishop sat up in the wheelhouse attempting to coax Sig into speaking to her using the information she'd gleaned from Edgar.

"Are the storm warnings from the weather service usually accurate?" asked Bishop.

Sig took a deep breath and debated just ignoring her. He's promised Natalie he'd give her an interview but he suppose he didn't really have to honor it. Sig was still contemplating when Bishop's voice cut through his musing.

"Sig, watch out for the wave" she yelled.

Sig lifted his head from the monitor and saw a massive wave heading towards the boat from the side.

"Oh shit!" he yelled.

He grabbed the hailer to alert the deck but realized the wave was already too close. He barely had time to press the buzzer before the wave hit the boat pushing it over about 45 degrees and shattering the small side window. Bishop skidded off her feet rolling into a small cabinet on the other side of the wheelhouse. Sig shielded his face from the raining glass. The boat sat at the angle for a moment before slowly righting itself. Sig shook the glass from his head and scanned the video monitor for the crew on deck. The deck was swamped with white frothy water and Sig noticed the coiler was knocked over.

"Give me a damage report" called Sig over the hailer.

All he got in response was silence. He looked over at Bishop who was just sitting up, he could see a rivulet of blood dripping from a cut above her eyebrow.

"Hey are you ok?" asked Sig.

"I think so" said Bishop.

"Come over here, let me check you out" said Sig.

Bishop walked unsteadily over to the captain's chair, she stumbled slightly and Sig reached out to steady her. He could see a growing bump on her head and the deep cut oozing blood. He ran his hands over her arms and legs making sure nothing was broken.

"That hurts" said Bishop as Sig brushed over her elbow.

Sig bent her elbow back and forth and when she didn't wince he pulled up her sweatshirt and found it red and bloody.

"Looks like you just scraped it" said Sig. "Natalie can fix you up."

"Where is Natalie?" asked Bishop.

"Outside. Stay here, I'm going to check on everyone else" said Sig.

Bishop nodded and took her place in Sig's chair.

The deck of the Northwestern was strewn with debris. White totes were all over the place along with spilled bait and buoy bags. The pots that had been tied in the center of the deck were now against the stern piled like toy blocks. Sig skidded out of the wheelhouse and took the ladder steps two at a time. He scanned the deck looking for any signs of life. The only sounds he heard were the waves.

"Where are you guys?" he yelled.

His voice was lost to the howling wind. He sprinted to the bait station and found Jake and Matt huddled over a prone Norman. Sig's fears were being realized, his brother was hurt.

"What happened?" he asked.

"A huge wave just wiped out the entire crew" said Edgar from behind him.

"Who's hurt?" asked Sig.

"No one, we're just a little banged up. Nothing serious" said Edgar.

Jake pulled Norman to his feet while Nick and Natalie appeared from behind an overturned bait bin.

"Everyone accounted for" said Sig.

"Roger" said Edgar.

"Thank god" said Sig. "Lets get the hell inside."

No one needed to be told twice, they scrambled to their feet and headed off the deck.

In the ready room everyone stripped out of their oil skins, they were soaked to the bone. Edgar pulled clothes out of the dryer and everyone stripped off their wet clothes and slipped into dry ones. Natalie was still shivering violently so Nick grabbed and extra hoodie and slid it over her head.

"Thanks" said Natalie through chattering teeth.

"Lets get you warm" said Norman.

Natalie nodded and walked unsteadily through to the galley. Norman sat her down while Matt brought out the pot of coffee and passed out cups to everyone.

"Too bad we don't have anything stronger" said Jake.

"Coffee will have to do until we get to town" said Edgar.

Natalie wrapped her hands around the hot coffee letting the cup burn them. Her hands tingled like electricity was running through them making her set down the cup with a clunk. Looking around the room she noticed some of the movies had fallen off the shelf. She wondered how messed up the cabinets in the kitchen were. As her eyes shifted past everyone she noticed a glint in Sig's hair.

"Sig, you have glass in your hair" she said.

"I know. We have a blown out window in the wheelhouse" he replied.

"Are you cut?" asked Natalie climbing over Norman to get to Sig.

"No. But Bishop has a cut you need to look at" said Sig.

"Is she upstairs?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" replied Sig.

Natalie grabbed the first aid kit and ran up the stairs.

"Is Bishop ok?" asked Edgar.

"Just a small cut" said Sig. "She saved my ass up there. She saw the wave before I did. If she hadn't said something I could have been blinded by the breaking glass."

"Glad she was there" said Norman.

"Yeah, me too" said Sig. "I should go check on her."

Sig walked into the wheelhouse and into a scene out of a porno movie. Bishop was laying on the floor in her pants and bra. Natalie was straddling her while her hands caressed Bishop's torso. Next to Natalie was the open first aid kit and she was apparently looking for further injuries. Sig watched as she finished her inspection and then moved up to kneel just under Bishop's breasts. She reached over and grabbed some gauze and antiseptic.

"Linz, it's going to need a few stitches. It's deep" said Natalie.

"I trust you" said Bishop.

Natalie stroked her hand across Bishop's forehead soothingly.

"Just close your eyes. I'm going to put some numbing stuff on and then I'm going to stitch it up" explained Natalie.

"Will you kiss it and make it better when your done?" asked Bishop.

"Of course. Just try to relax" said Natalie.

With an incredible delicate hand Natalie stitched the deep cut closed and then cleaned it again before putting on a small bandage. Then she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the bandage.

"No, I want a better kiss than that" said Bishop seductively.

Natalie placed her hands on the Bishop's chest running her fingers from her collar bone to the tips of her breasts. Bishop's hips tilted up in response. Natalie bent down until her lips were an inch from Bishop's.

"It may work on the boys, but it won't on me" said Natalie.

Then she stood and closed up the first aid box before walking out of the room, leaving Bishop on the floor. Sig saw Natalie coming and he ducked into his stateroom until she passed. He hadn't been able to hear what she'd said, but clearly it had been quite a line because it left Bishop completely incapacitated. Sig took a breath and walked into the wheelhouse. Bishop was still on the floor.

"Are you ok?" asked Sig.

"Um, yeah. Natalie just stitched me up" said Bishop.

Sig leaned over her and pulled her up. She wobbled a little and Sig put his arms around her to steady her. Bishop placed her head on his chest and Sig instinctively put his arms around her.

"Thanks" she whispered.

"Of course" said Sig placing a kiss on the top of her head.

There was a commotion on the stairs and Edgar and Jake barged into the wheelhouse with a piece of plexiglass.

"Wow, sorry" said Jake.

He tried to turn around but ran smack into Edgar.

"What the fuck Junior" yelled Edgar.

"I think" began Jake.

"We don't pay you to think" began Edgar. "Move."

Jake did as commanded and stepped aside. Edgar moved into the room and his mouth dropped open at the sight of Sig hugging a half naked Bishop.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I love them. Another quick update.

The plexiglass quick fix was installed in the wheelhouse and a few hours later the boat was back moving through the gear. Natalie went out on deck with the guys to help them sort through the stuffed pots of crab. The waves were still big but the wind had died down enough that Sig thought it was safe for her to be out there. Jake and Natalie shared bait duty. They rock, paper scissored before each pot to decide who was going to bait it.

"It's a study of statistics" said Natalie.

"Seriously, you have the worst luck" said Jake.

"Technically I should win at least fifty percent of the time" said Natalie.

"Yeah, you've won twice in thirteen pots" said Jake.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see if my luck evens out the more we play" said Natalie.

"Sure, what ever you say" said Jake with a smirk.

"Pot's ready to bait" called Edgar.

"Coming" said Natalie grabbing the bait from the table.

Natalie dove into the pot and hung the bait in record time.

"Wow, you're really getting the hang of it" said Nick.

"Thanks, it must be all the practice I'm getting" said Natalie as she shimmied out of the pot.

"We have 15 pots until we jog to our next string" said Sig over the hailer.

"Natalie, head in, dry off and start cooking" said Edgar.

"Roger" replied Natalie with a smile as she disappeared off deck.

"I wonder what she's making for dinner?" said Matt.

"Whatever it is, I hope she makes a lot. I'm starving" said Jake.

A few minutes later the smell of cooking onions began seeping out of the galley window. The guys were hungry and each new smell that permeated the deck made their mouths water. Edgar stuck his head through the galley window and tried to grab a taste of what Natalie was cooking.

"Hey, if you want a taste just ask" scolded Natalie.

"Fine" said Edgar grudgingly. "Can I have a taste?"

"No" said Natalie.

"You are such a tease" said Edgar.

"I'm not" said Natalie.

"Prove it" challenged Edgar.

"I don't feel the need to prove anything to you" said Natalie. "It's not my style."

"At least tell me what's for dinner" said Edgar.

"Pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy" said Natalie.

"Make double because we're all starving" said Edgar.

"I'm way ahead of you" said Natalie.

To illustrate she pulled two full baking pans out of the oven. Edgar gave her a thumbs up to show his approval and slid the window closed.

The next few days passed in the same way. Natalie helped out on deck and cooked the meals. Then she gave as many treatments as she could before she collapsed from exhaustion. Bishop was Sig's constant companion in the wheelhouse, she'd even taken to making his coffee. She also wasn't sleeping in Natalie's bed or at least Natalie didn't think she was. Once Natalie's head hit the pillow she was out until Norman or Edgar shook her awake. Tonight was going to be her first wheel watch so after cleaning up the dinner dishes she made the quick trip up to the wheelhouse. She was armed with a couple of magazines and a huge cup of coffee. Bishop and Sig were chatting casually and Natalie was happy that they were finally getting along.

"Bug, you ready for your shift?" asked Sig.

"Yep, all set" said Natalie.

She slipped into the chair and Sig went over everything again. He watched Natalie for a few minutes and when he was sure she knew what she was doing he left. Bishop filmed the wheelhouse for a few minutes before putting the camera on the tripod and approaching the captain's chair.

"What's up?" said Natalie.

"Nothing, just thought we could do something funny" said Bishop.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" asked Natalie warily.

"We should braid each other's hair" said Bishop.

"Excellent idea" said Natalie, her face breaking into a huge grin.

"Take off your sweatshirt so you don't mess up your hair" suggested Bishop.

"Ok" said Natalie.

Once she was just in her tank top and sweats she stood up so Bishop could slip into the chair behind her. Up on her knees Bishop sectioned off the hair and started to braid. Natalie opened up her magazine and started to ask Bishop some of the quiz questions. Their giggles turned to laughter which turned to hysterics so loud that Sig woke up.

"What the fuck is going on up here?" he bellowed.

"Hi Sig" said Bishop.

"What the fuck are you two doing?" he asked.

"Braiding each other's hair" said Natalie with a snicker.

"Not on my boat" said Sig.

"Too late, we're all done" said Natalie.

"Get out of my chair" said Sig.

Natalie slipped out of the chair and passed Sig. When she walked by Sig noticed the intricate design in her hair. Bishop's hair looked equally complicated. Clearly they'd been doing this for a while.

"Good night Natalie" said Sig sternly.

"Night" said Natalie flitting out of the wheelhouse.

"You staying to keep me company?" asked Sig.

"Of course" said Bishop.

Sig motioned to the camera and Bishop went over and turned it off. Then she walked over and slipped into his lap.

The crew was on, what they all hoped, was the last string of the trip. The pots had produced solid numbers thus far and the tanks had filled quickly. Topping off the tank was the order of the day. The crew hit the deck and was greeted by snow flurries. Natalie walked around trying to catch the small flakes in her mouth. She stopped after she ran smack into Edgar and got a tongue full of dirty jacket. The hours wore on and constant grind of the long hours were making everyone a little sloppy. After Natalie fell for the tenth time Edgar sent her inside to make everyone a snack. She came out twenty minutes later with some piping hot ham and cheese sandwiches. Everyone ate theirs on a quick run between pots. Natalie grabbed a water to wash down her sandwich.

"Give me a sip" said Jake.

Natalie handed him her bottle and Jake took a few swigs. He handed back the bottle and Matt asked for a sip. Natalie frowned slightly but handed him the bottle and he finished it.

"Hey, where's my sip?" asked Nick.

"You all have working legs" replied Natalie. "Go get your own bottles."

"That's cold blooded" said Edgar.

Natalie rolled her eyes and walked over to the small alcove and grabbed an arm full of water. She walked to each guy opened the bottle licked the lip before handing it over.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Edgar.

"I'm slobbering all over it, because clearly that's why you want to share my drink" said Natalie.

"Yum, it's minty" said Nick.

"I'm chewing gum" said Natalie.

"What did you spit in it?" asked Edgar.

"Don't be gross" said Natalie.

"Are you kidding, everyone on here is gross. When's the last time you showered?" asked Edgar.

Natalie took a moment to think about it and then a horrified look spread over her face as she realized it had been days.

"Oh I feel so gross" complained Natalie.

"You still look good, if that's any consolation" said Matt.

"Thanks. It means a lot coming from the guy who hasn't changed his undies since we left Dutch" chided Natalie.

"How do you know" said Matt.

"Bishop told me. How she knows is not my business" replied Natalie.

The guys on deck wouldn't meet each other's eyes which Natalie felt was odd. A huge wave washed over the side knocking all contemplation out of the crew's mind.

"Natalie, get to the bait station and stay there" called Sig over the hailer.

"Roger" replied Natalie.

The rest of the string was treacherous, Natalie stayed at the shelter of the bait station doing her best to stay vertical. After another 10 pots Edgar sent her inside for her protection.

The tanks were finally stuffed and the crew fell into their beds exhausted. There was a nine hour steam to Dutch and everyone was planning to sleep for the duration of the trip. Natalie put the prepackaged muffins on the table and made a pot of coffee before heading towards her stateroom. Before she got there she decided to grab the laundry out of the dryer. After folding the clothes she set off to drop off the clean garments and then go to bed. Her first stop was Sig's room. As she walked upstairs she could hear Nick chatting with Sig in the wheelhouse. She dropped his clothes off on his bed and headed back downstairs. Her next stop was to drop off Matt, Jake and Nick's clothes. She set the laundry basket down in the hall and opened the door. Picking up their clothes she took two steps into the room.

"Hey Jake" she called.

When her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw Bishop on her knees in between Jake's legs. She was clearly giving him a blow job wearing nothing more than a pair of panties. While that was a strange sight it certainly wasn't what upset Natalie, the thing that made her mad was that Bishop was wearing her panties.

"What the fuck are you doing?" yelled Natalie.

Bishop's response was muffled by her full mouth and Jake's response was a grunt that clearly signaled his release. Bishop turned towards Natalie, her mouth dripping with cum.

"I don't care what you are doing with him or anyone else on the boat, but you get your skanky cunt out of my underwear" yelled Natalie.

"What's all the yelling?" asked Matt as he opened the door.

"You are more than welcome to be the boats doorknob but do not do it in any of my stuff" continued Natalie.

After delivering her last salvo Natalie turned on her heel and pushed past Matt into the hallway. Bishop and Jake were still in the same position and Matt seeing that he didn't want any part of it backed slowly out of the room.

Natalie stormed into her stateroom throwing the laundry basket containing Edgar and Norman's clothes into the corner. Norman and Edgar were sitting in their bunks, the walls on a crab boat are paper thin and they'd both heard what she'd said to Bishop. Natalie pulled off her sweatshirt and climbed into her bunk, pulling the blanket over her head. Edgar and Norman shared a look and Edgar sighed, stood up and poked her.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine" grumbled Natalie.

"You sure?" asked Edgar. "Do I need to clean up any blood or dispose of a body?"

"No, everyone is still in one piece" said Natalie.

"Roger" said Edgar.

"You know what I want" said Natalie suddenly.

"What?" asked Edgar.

"Off this fucking boat" said Natalie.

"You've been amazing on this trip" said Norman suddenly.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

"Seriously, you've done more work than the average greenhorn" said Edgar.

"Well if I can't get off the boat, then I want some of Sig's chocolate" said Natalie.

"No problem" said Edgar.

He reached into his seabag and pulled out 2 large slabs of Sig's favorite chocolate. He handed one to Natalie and she looked at him quizzically.

"We always have some on hand in case a bribe is in order or we want to frame another crew member for theft" explained Edgar.

"Whatever" said Natalie grabbing the candy.

She snapped off a piece and laid it on her tongue letting it slowly melt into her taste buds. She repeated the process until the chocolate bar was finished. Then she closed her eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. I love reading all of the reviews, please keep submitting them.

The offload had started and based on how stuffed the tanks were it estimated to take almost 30 hours to unload. Natalie was still sleeping in her bunk when the boat arrived in Dutch and neither Edgar or Norman had the heart to wake her. Bishop stuck to Sig's side like a conjoined twin. If Sig was outside looking at the crab then so was Bishop. If he was in the wheelhouse the she was too, etc, etc. Jake had been given the task of collecting mail so he was in town everyone else shuffled around the deck taking numbers. The offload was in full swing when Natalie finally emerged from the stateroom. She slumped down at the table after grabbing a cup of coffee. Without opening her eyes she began shredding and eating a muffin. The galley was quiet and she assumed everyone was outside observing the offload. She finished her coffee and muffin and then went back to bed. If she was needed they would know where to find her. Jake walked into the galley a moment later with Nick and Matt hot on his heels.

"So tell us what happened again" said Matt.

"Fine" said Jake setting down the bag.

He took a moment to look around and then waved the guys in closer.

"So Bishop came up to me yesterday and said that I deserved a special treat for doing so many good interviews" explained Jake. "So we go into the room and she sits me down and starts taking off her clothes, stripper style. So she gets down to just the panties and says I'm over dressed."

"Skip ahead to the part where Natalie busts in" said Matt.

"Fine, so she's doing her thing and I guess it was ok" said Jake. "Then Natalie calls my name and I totally lose it."

Matt makes a face and Jake moves on with the story.

"So anyway, Natalie comes in holding the laundry and just stops. Her eyes slip over me and totally lock on Bishop. She yells at her for wearing her underwear then calls her a doorknob and the storms out" finishes Jake.

"Wow" said Nick. "I'm sorry I missed that."

"I just caught the tail end of it. The doorknob part" said Matt.

"I'm surprised Sig didn't hear her, she was yelling loud" said Jake.

Matt just shrugged and started to sift through the pile of mail. He pulled out a package addressed to the boat and opened it.

"Jackpot!" he said.

"Awesome, cookies" said Jake.

Bishop walked into the galley and immediately stopped, here eyes darted from guy to guy before spying the cookies on the table.

"Are those for Sig?" she asked.

"No, they are for all of us" replied Matt.

"Can I have one?" asked Bishop.

"It'll cost you" said Matt holding the bag just out of her reach.

"What's your price?" asked Bishop.

"How about the same as Jake" whispered Matt.

"Consider it done" said Bishop.

Matt handed her the bag of cookies with a smirk. Bishop smiled and disappeared back into the wheelhouse.

"How come I didn't get a cookie?" asked Jake with a pout.

"Because I don't want a blow job from you" said Matt.

Jake made a gagging noise as he walked back on deck.

Sig walked down the dock with the cash out ticket in his hand. He estimated another two trips and they'd be finished with their quota. The crew was rinsing out the crab tanks when he hopped down onto the deck. He smiled at Edgar and told him to round everyone up. Jason stood under the shelter deck waiting to talk to Sig about Bishop. He'd gotten word from the production team that a new producer was available.

"Hey Sig" began Jason.

"Yeah, what is it?" replied Sig.

"The production guys have a new producer if you want one" said Jason.

Sig stopped in his tracks. Although he clearly remembered giving the ultimatum he wasn't sure if he wanted to follow through. The crew was assembling on deck and Bishop came out and walked up to him holding a bag of cookies. Sig smiled widely at her and made his decision.

"Ok everyone, we got the ticket and it was better than expected" said Sig. "Because of that we're going to have a little shore leave. Starting with dinner at the Grand."

The crew cheered and then disappeared inside to shower and change. Natalie smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

Dinner was a raucous affair, everyone talking and drinking. Sig announced that Bishop would be staying on as the boats producer. Natalie did her best to appear interested in the conversations going on around her but found her mind far away. Finally after one too many of Bishop's giggles she excused herself. Walking into the hotel's bar she slid onto a barstool and ordered a drink. The bartender smiled as she set the drink down.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah fine" replied Natalie.

"Do you work on the Northwestern?" asked the bartender.

"I'm a temporary employee" said Natalie.

"Cool. Those guys are great" said the Bartender.

"I'm Natalie."

"I'm Kale" replied the Bartender.

"Kale, like the vegetable?" asked Natalie.

"Yes. You know that's the first time anyone has ever said that to me up here" said Kale.

"Really? It's a pretty common vegetable" said Natalie. "But I guess the guys up here aren't really the farmer's market types."

"True" said Kale with a smile. "So a temporary employee of the Northwestern. What do you do?"

Natalie explained her job on the boat and after a few more drinks spilled her guts about how annoyed she was with Bishop.

"Bishop?" said Kale. "The girl from Discovery?"

"Yep" said Natalie taking another drink.

"She has quite a rep in town" said Kale. "Sleeping around to get what she wants."

"I believe it" said Natalie.

"I'm surprised they put her on a boat" said Kale. "The last one she was on left the series."

"Oh really?" said Natalie in surprise. "Which boat was that?"

"The Maverick" replied Kale. "I guess she and Blake were a bit of an item on the boat, but when they got back to shore she had no time for him. Then he found out she'd fooled around with everyone on the boat behind his back and filmed it. She said it was just to get the sort of drama a show like Deadliest Catch needs. Personally I think she's just a slut."

"Wow" was all Natalie could say.

"Can I get you another one?" asked Kale.

"No thanks, I don't want to throw up on myself, again" said Natalie. "Honestly, all I really want is a nice hot shower or a long soak in a big bathtub."

"You can use my place" said Kale. "It's right around the corner."

"Really?" said Natalie in surprise. "You don't even know me."

"That sweatshirt your wearing tells me everything I need to know. If Sig trusts you, then everyone around here trusts you. Sig does not suffer fools" said Kale.

"In that case I would love to use your shower" said Natalie.

"I have a shower and a bath, use both if you like" said Kale. "I'm off in a couple of hours, if you want you can take a nap and I'll wake you up when I get home."

"Sounds wonderful" said Natalie with a sigh.

Kale handed her the keys and a crudely drawn map of how to get the townhouse.

Natalie opened the door to Kale's apartment. Based on the look of the outside she hadn't expected too much. She'd been mistaken, inside was a huge space full of comfy furniture and tasteful accents. Dropping the keys on the entry table she set off in search of the bathroom. Opening the door at the end of the hall she found a huge bathroom with a picture window as it's focal point. The shower was separate from the giant soaker tub. Natalie turned on the tap in the tub before jumping into the shower. The shower was huge and the water blissfully hot. Kale had an array of products and Natalie was determined to use every single one. The shampoo she chose had a sharp lemon scent that was so delicate that Natalie thought of taking it home with her. Lathering up her body with soap she scrubbed off two weeks of grime. She used the nail brush to clean under her nails and an avocado face mask. She finally rinsed off and turned off the shower. Without even drying off she made a dash to the tub, stopping briefly to find a razor. Easing herself into the steaming tub she sighed as the tension slowly leached from her body. Leaning back she slipped underwater letting it's liquid softness caress every inch of her. She finally resurfaced when her lungs started to burn from lack of oxygen. Grabbing a small bar of soap she began the arduous task of shaving. The hair in her arm pits and legs was quickly disposed of and after a moment of hesitation she decided to do a little more personal grooming. Natalie stayed in the tub until the water started to cool. Once out she dried her hair with a hair dryer and slathered her body with some of Kale's lotion. Then wrapping herself in a towel fell asleep draped across the bed. Kale arrived back a few hours later and sent Natalie back to the boat with a bag full of toiletries.

The guys had left dinner and headed to the local bar. Everyone had figured Natalie had gone back to the boat. However, when they stumbled in to find the boat dark and deserted everyone was more than a little concerned. Sig's first instinct was to send the guys out on a search and rescue mission but Bishop assured him that Natalie was fine and would be back soon. Sig reluctantly agreed and he and Bishop disappeared into his stateroom.

"That's weird" said Jake. "Should we go look for her anyway?"

"I'm thinking we should give her an hour. The bars aren't even closed yet" said Edgar.

"Fine, lets give her until 2 and then we'll go look for her" said Norman.

"Sounds like a plan" said Matt.

The guys passed the time playing cards. At one thirty Natalie came waltzing through the door. Edgar reached her first and looked her up and down. She wasn't weaving and didn't smell drunk. In fact she smelled clean, very clean.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Taking a shower at Kale's house" replied Natalie.

"The girl from the Grand bar?" asked Jake.

"Yep, she's the one" said Natalie.

"Why are you so happy?" asked Sig who'd just appeared in the galley.

"Because I got to take a shower and a bath with real hair products with no one harassing me about how long I'm taking" said Natalie.

"Well if it's that annoying on here then get off" said Sig.

Natalie recoiled, stung by his words. She hadn't been complaining just stating the reasons she looked so happy. Dropping her eyes to the floor she blinked back tears. Setting her chin she raised it defiantly.

"If that's what you want, then I will" said Natalie.

She turned to walk out of the room when Edgar caught her arm.

"You can't do that" he said to Sig. "We all feel better because she's here. We work better because she's here and she's not yours to fire."

"Everything that happens on this boat is my business and I control everything, so don't tell me it's not my right to fire her" ranted Sig. "If she wants off the boat, get her off. If you can't live without her then you can go too."

With that Sig returned to his stateroom leaving everyone in the galley in stunned shock.

The next morning Natalie got up early to make breakfast. As far as she knew the boat was leaving today for another trip and she probably wouldn't be on it. She walked passed the bathroom and could hear the distinct sound of a woman moaning. Assuming it was Bishop she just kept on walking. In the galley she saw a sleepy eyed Nick hunched over a cup of coffee.

"Why are you up so early?" asked Natalie.

"Because I got tired of hearing what's going on in my stateroom" said Nick.

"They've moved to the bathroom" said Natalie.

"Oh yeah?" said Nick.

"Yep, just heard moaning when I passed the door" said Natalie.

"Great, I'm going back in and trying to get a few more minutes of sleep before the energizer bunnies return" said Nick.

"You can go sleep in my bunk" offered Natalie. "I'm going to make breakfast and then head out."

"Where are you going?" asked Nick.

"Back to Seattle" said Natalie.

"Why? Did something happen?" asked a concerned Nick.

"Well other than Sig telling me to get off the boat, no" said Natalie. "But honestly I think that's enough."

"You don't have to go, he says shit like that to everyone" said Nick. "He probably won't even remember saying it."

Natalie didn't have anything to say in response. On the one hand she was happy to help the crew make it through their season with a little less pain but on the other hand she didn't like the way Sig had treated her.

"The thing about Sig is when he's on the boat he's kind of a dick and once you realize that then you take everything he says with a grain of salt. Off the boat he's a great guy" explained Nick.

"Maybe I'll meet the great guy sometime" said Natalie.

"I promise you, he's a completely different person" said Nick.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders in response and walked over to make breakfast. Pulling stuff out of the fridge she decided on bacon waffles a personal favorite of hers. The smell of frying bacon brought Norman out his room. He poured himself a cup of coffee and instead of sitting down at the table he sidled into the kitchen.

"Morning" said Natalie.

"Hey" mumbled Norman. "Who's in the bathroom?"

"I don't know, but whoever it is has amazing staying power. They've been going at it since before I got up" said Natalie.

"Is that why Nick is sleeping in your bunk?" asked Norman.

"Yeah, I guess he got tired of hearing it in his room so when I got out here he was sitting at the table" explained Natalie. "I offered him my bunk."

Norman nodded and turned as a door opened in the hallway. Natalie turned back to the stove, she had no desire to see who Bishop's latest conquest was. Norman however was more than interested. He even made the extra effort to move towards the hall so he could see better and eventually he disappeared down the hallway. A few minutes later a sleep disheveled Edgar appeared in the galley. He helped himself to a few slices of bacon and poured a cup of coffee.

"Want more coffee?" asked Edgar.

"Sure" said Natalie handing over her cup.

"Where is everyone?" asked Edgar.

"Orgy" mumbled Natalie.

"What did you say?" asked Edgar.

"I said I don't know" replied Natalie.

"Sure that's what you said" scoffed Edgar.

Natalie busied herself making the waffles. Once a stack was on the table she asked Edgar to call the guys to breakfast.

"Why don't you do it?" asked Edgar. "You always do it so nicely with back rubs and soft good mornings."

"Well, I'm not in the mood today" said Natalie.

"Too much shampoo make you grumpy?" teased Edgar.

"Yes" said Natalie.

"Fine" said Edgar. "BREAKFAST!"

Natalie covered her ears at the sheer decibel level of the shout. It worked though and moment or two later everyone appeared in the galley.

Breakfast was eaten and the dishes were being done by Bishop and Matt. The friendly banter seemed a little too friendly and Sig was taking exception to it. He'd woken up to find himself alone and had a sneaking suspicion where his bed warmer had disappeared to. Natalie bit her lip a few times before summoning up the courage to ask Sig if he still wanted her on the boat. It would be easier just to assume she was going and leave quietly but it felt like she was slinking off the boat. Sig rubbed his forehead and then glanced around the room, his eyes fell on Natalie and he smiled.

"How about a head rub" he said with a smile.

"Sure" said Natalie a quizzical look on her face.

As she followed Sig up to the wheelhouse Nick caught her arm and mouthed "told you so" as she passed. Natalie nodded and kept going.

Instead of going to the wheelhouse Sig turned into his stateroom. Natalie followed inside and her nostrils were assaulted by the distinctive scent of sex lingering in the air. Wrinkling her nose she tried to breath through her mouth to avoid the smell. Sig moved his rumpled sheet out of the way and sat down on the bed. Natalie moved in front of him and placed her hands on his temple. Sig took a few calming breaths but didn't seem to be able to relax.

"What's wrong?" asked Natalie.

"Nothing" said Sig.

Natalie nodded not wanting to push the subject. Her thoughts wandered back to leaving the boat and she realized this was the perfect time to ask Sig what his intentions were. She was just working up her nerve when Sig began talking.

"I mean she has to like me, she's been in my bed every night" rambled Sig.

It took Natalie a moment to realize what she was hearing and then she wished she had a way to plug her ears.

"I mean you're a girl" said Sig. "What do you think?"

"Um" said Natalie stalling. "Are we talking about Bishop?"

"Yes" said Sig his voice annoyed. "Do you think she's interested in something more?"

"I don't know what her intentions are" said Natalie, forcing her voice to be neutral.

"I know she likes me or at least likes what I do to her" said Sig smugly.

Natalie barely kept her face blank. All she could think of was the moaning sounds she'd heard in the bathroom.

"You are an amazing man who absolutely deserves a great girl, but I don't know if Bishop is the right girl for you" said Natalie evenly.

"You think she's too good for me" said Sig his voice rising slightly.

"No, quite the opposite" said Natalie.

"She's a great girl" defended Sig.

"Then why ask me anything, you've clearly already made up your mind" said Natalie her voice matching his.

"Well fine" said Sig. "I thought we had something, a friendship."

Natalie stood for a moment before taking a few steps back.

"I thought maybe we had more" she said quietly.

Natalie walked with deliberate slowness through the galley and out onto the deck. The sun was high in the sky and it was surprisingly warm. She pulled off her sweatshirt and stood in the middle of the deck soaking up the sunshine. A giggle pierced through the quiet making Natalie cringe. She tried to figure out where it was coming from in order to go the opposite way but the echos on the empty deck made it impossible. Giving up after a moment she moved up the ladder towards the wheelhouse. Sitting on the steps the giggles got louder and she realized that they were coming from a small supply closet just outside of the wheelhouse door.

"God she's brazen" muttered Natalie to herself.

She turned to walk down the stairs when she heard Norman's voice.

"Say it again" he moaned.

"You're the best" said Bishop with a giggle.

Natalie shook her head in disgust and climbed down the ladder. She walked into the small alcove and grabbed the pack of cigarettes. Lighting one using the lighter attached to the side of the wall she sat down in a chair and took a deep inhale of the toxic smoke. The sound of a door opening drew her from her thoughts.

"Well, I didn't know you smoked" said Matt.

"I just started" said Natalie.

"Have you seen Norman?" asked Matt. "Sig's ready to cast the lines."

"No, I haven't seen him" said Natalie after a moment of hesitation.

It was the truth, she hadn't seen him and she could be wrong about the sound of his voice through the steel door.

"Weird, he's usually easy to find" said Matt.

Natalie took another drag of the cigarette so she wouldn't have to comment. Sig's voice cut over the hailer and there was a crashing sound from the upper deck, then a moment later Norman appeared.

"Hey Norm" said Matt. "Sig's ready to go."

"I heard" said Norman.

The other crew members migrated to the rail and prepared to throw the lines. Natalie stayed put, they didn't need her help. As the boat pulled away from the dock Bishop appeared next to her.

"Hey Nat."

"What do you want?" said Natalie dully.

"Just thought I'd say hi" said Bishop. "And let you know I totally saved your ass last night."

"Oh yeah? How's that" said Natalie.

"Because Sig wanted to send out a search party for you when they saw you weren't here" explained Bishop. "Who were you with anyway?"

"No one" replied Natalie. "I was taking a shower at Kale's house."

"Right" said Bishop. "If you don't want to tell me it's fine."

"I did tell you" said Natalie.

"You're so dull" said Bishop.

Natalie was seething, if she wanted to she could be just as fun as Bishop. But becoming a revolving pussy wasn't something she was interested in. An evil smile spread over Natalie's face.

"By the way she wanted me to tell you Blake Painter said hi" she said with a smirk.

The color drained from Bishop's face.

"The facts of that drama have been completely convoluted" said Bishop.

"Whatever you say" said Natalie. "I'm just delivering the message."

"I think you should watch what you're saying" said Bishop.

"I'm not saying anything" said Natalie.

"You'd be a lot more fun if you weren't so uptight" said Bishop. "Let loose, have fun, there are no rules or moral responsibilities on a crab boat."

Natalie just shook her head at Bishop and walked inside. Bishop watched her leave and decided that she needed to get rid of her at the first opportunity.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. Please continue to leave them as I enjoy reading each and every one of them.

Natalie ducked as Edgar threw another cod into the bait bin. The crew had dropped a few cod pots in order to get more fresh bait. The trip was almost finished and Natalie couldn't be more relieved. Sig was dialed into the crab and the trip was going quick. She'd spent almost all her time on deck with the guys. When she wasn't on deck she was treating minor aches and pains. Bishop had taken over the cooking responsibilities and Natalie suspected that had been at Sig's suggestion. Avoiding Bishop was pretty easy if she wasn't in the wheelhouse with Sig then she was in the galley. Natalie easily avoided both of those places. She'd been using some physical therapy exercises to help the guys feel better. A few stretches and strengthening moves would help them once Natalie got off the boat.

"Earth to Bug" called Matt.

Natalie's snapped her head up and she walked over to where Matt was standing at the rail.

"Come throw the hook" he said.

"No thanks" said Natalie.

The weather was great, the sea was flat calm and there was no wind. Matt walked up to Natalie and dragged her to the rail.

"Here" he said placing the hook in her hand.

It was heavier than she expected and for a moment she wondered how far she'd actually be able to throw it.

"Ok, here's the deal. Sig's going to pull as close to the bags as possible and you are going to start throwing before the boat even gets to them. Understand?" explained Matt.

"Not really, but I'll do my best" said Natalie.

"Sig, Bug is on the hook" said Edgar into the intercom.

"Fine" said Sig over the hailer.

The boat slowed to a crawl as it approached the first set of buoy bags. Natalie lined up her shot and threw the hook as far as she could. It sailed out of her hands on a great trajectory towards the lines.

"You probably want to grab onto the end of the rope before we lose the hook" suggested Matt.

"Fuck" said Natalie in response as she tried to find the end of the rope.

Edgar smiled and pointed down to his foot which was anchoring the end of the rope to the deck.

"Don't worry, I've got your back" he said with a wink.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

Of course she didn't hook the rope on the first toss, or the second, third or fourth. By the fifth toss Natalie was thinking it would be easier just to jump in and swim to the bags. On the seventh throw she finally got it and started pulling in the rope. Her arm muscles started to burn when the buoys were only half way to the boat, by the time she hauled them over the rail she was dying.

"Ok, now put them in the block" said Edgar.

Natalie nodded and made a valiant effort but failed repeatedly.

"Alright Bug, I think you need a little help" said Matt.

He got the rope in the block and then into the coiler. Natalie stood back as the pot cleared the rail and settled into the launcher.

"I'm going back to bait" said Natalie breathlessly. "Any more pulling and I'm not going to be able to lift my arms."

"Come on Bug, one more" said Matt.

"No" replied Natalie. "I won't be able to massage anyone if I do."

"Can't have that happening" said Edgar.

Natalie scuttled back to the bait station and happily finished out the string in the relatively easy job of baiting pots.

The crew was in high spirits, the boat had turned and burned through the gear and the tanks were almost stuffed. Everyone on deck was already talking about getting to town and the possibility of having only one trip left until the end of the season. They were two pots away from the end of the thirty pot string when the hook moved out from its binding and swung into Nick's ear. He dropped to the deck with a thump. Without thinking Natalie started to make a dash across the deck, Jake grabbed her by the sleeve to stop her. He pointed towards the swinging hook and when Edgar managed to secure it Jake released Natalie. She skidded to the deck immediately using her body to shield Nick from the waves crashing over the rail and began looking for the source of the blood.

"Nick, can you open your eyes for me?" she asked.

Nick's eyes fluttered open and she could see they were wildly shifting back and forth.

"It's ok, just an ear. You have a spare" said Natalie.

Nick's eyes widened in shock. Natalie smiled at him showing she was jesting and then pushed him down to keep him still. Her hands flitted over his head, then his neck and finally feeling his pulse. When she determined there was no chance of a spinal injury she asked Nick if he could stand up. A nod of his head was all the confirmation she needed and she pulled him to his feet.

"He's going to take a bit of a break" she said. "Finish up without him."

"God if that's all it takes to get out of a few pots I'm going to get hit in the head with something" said Jake.

"I can arrange that" said Edgar.

"Yeah, but if you do it I won't be getting up at all" said Jake.

Edgar smiled and then laughed maniacally.

Once inside Natalie helped Nick slip out of his rain gear. She hung it up and then stripped out of hers. She passed a towel to him to hold against his ear to staunch the flow of blood. Leading him to the galley she sat him down in the seat. Removing the towel she wiped the majority of the blood off and then moved to look into his ear.

"I can't see anything" said Natalie. "I'll be right back."

Natalie ran towards her stateroom before returning with a thin yellow object.

"Ok, I'm going to clean out a bit of the ear wax you've got in here and try to see if the hit has burst your eardrum" explained Natalie.

"What?" said Nick in response.

With a firm hand Natalie moved his chin and then started to gently remove what looked like a ridiculous amount of gunk. Natalie grabbed a napkin from the middle of the table and started wiping the small tool each time she dug into his ear. Nick winced slightly but never said a word of complaint.

"My God, the clumps are the size of raisins" commented Natalie. "Do you ever clean your ears?"

"No" replied Nick with a cringe.

"I've never seen so much junk in an ear, holy shit there's a fish scale in here" she remarked.

"I bet it's a cod scale" said Nick.

"Gross" muttered Natalie.

She worked on his ear for the better part of an hour before she could see if there was any blood or fluid leaking. Seeing nothing she shifted around to Nick's other side and started cleaning out the other ear. By the time she was finished the napkin was pretty full and Nick could hear better than anytime he could remember.

"All done" announced Natalie.

"Wow, did you dig out some of my brain while you were in there?" asked Nick while rubbing his ears.

"Almost" said Natalie.

"It's loud in here" said Nick.

"Well I cleaned out 35 years of wax and fish scales from your ears" said Natalie. "It's probably going to seem weird for a while."

As if illustrating her point the crew marched into the galley with all the grace of a heard of elephants. Nick's eyes widened at the sheer volume of it all.

"Well Nick did you get a clean bill of health or did she have to cut off your ear?" asked Edgar.

"She tried to kill me with a sharp stick to the ear" said Nick.

"Unfortunately I was unsuccessful" said Natalie.

The rest of the strings were pulled and the pots set back to soak. There was a 15 hour steam to Dutch and Natalie was plotting in the wheelhouse. Sig had asked her to do the first wheel watch while he and the crew had a meeting in the galley. Natalie had no idea what the meeting was about, she imagined it could involve her but it wasn't really a concern. She just hoped that it lasted long enough to call Antha. Grabbing the SAT phone she dialed Antha's number, crossed her fingers she was home and could talk.

"Hello" said Antha.

"Antha, it's Natalie."

"Is Edgar ok?" asked Antha.

"He's fine. Everyone on the boat is fine" said Natalie. "Listen I don't have much time and I need your help."

"Sure" said Antha. "What's going on?"

Natalie rattled off the Bishop situation, the only detail she left out was the strip tease for Edgar. She finished her story with a sigh and waited for Antha's response. When she didn't get one she panicked.

"Antha, are you still there?" said Natalie. "God, this fucking boat is a piece of"

"I'm still here" cut in Antha. "I just don't know what to say."

"I know, right" said Natalie.

"Honestly, the whole thing sounds like a letter to Penthouse" said Antha.

Natalie chuckled at the thought.

"I think you should fight fire with fire" said Antha.

"Um, I haven't taken a proper shower for over a week, I'm not sleeping with anyone" said Natalie.

"I wasn't suggesting that" said Antha. "I think you should compliment the guys more, maybe wear a low cut shirt or something."

"Do you really think that's going to work?" asked Natalie.

"Even if it doesn't work on the guys, it will with Bishop" said Antha. "She'll notice and probably step up her games."

"How is that going to help me" said Natalie.

"She's going to start being ridiculous and the guys are going to catch on" said Antha.

"You really think so?" asked Natalie.

"They aren't as dumb as you think" said Antha.

"If you say so" said Natalie with an eye roll.

There was a commotion downstairs and Natalie started to panic.

"Antha, I have to go someone is coming" said Natalie. "I'll try your suggestion."

"Good luck, give Edgar a big hug for me" said Antha.

Natalie didn't have a chance to say goodbye, she barely had a chance to hang up the phone before Sig barreled into the wheelhouse.

"What's up with you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing" said Natalie.

"You look guilty. Did you fall asleep or something?" he asked.

"No, you just surprised me" said Natalie.

"Oh" said Sig suspiciously.

Bishop arrived a moment later and Natalie felt herself bristle. Instead of going with her first instinct which was to bolt out of the room as fast as possible she asked Sig if he needed anything.

"Like what?" was his response.

"Like a temple massage" said Natalie. "Are you still getting headaches?"

"I'd love one" said Sig.

"I've got it covered" said Bishop at the same time.

Sig looked at Bishop confusion written all over his face. Natalie's eyes shifted from Sig to Bishop and then back.

"It's your call" she said noncommittally.

"I'd like one" said Sig. "The headaches aren't as intense but they're still there."

"Have you been drinking water?" asked Natalie.

She walked around until she was standing behind Sig, then remembering what Antha had suggested, moved until she was standing in front of him.

"No, I haven't been drinking water, it's all out on deck with you guys" said Sig.

"You have two working legs right? Besides if you get out of the chair once in a while it would help with the blood flow, which will help with the headaches" said Natalie.

"Sig, how are you able to see with her standing in front of you like that" said Bishop.

Natalie gave an internal smirk.

"I see fine" said Sig. "In fact the view is excellent."

Bishop frown deepened and she went back to peppering Sig with procedural questions. After a few minutes Natalie got tired of listening to Bishop's voice and removed her hands from Sig's head.

"Over so soon?" asked Sig, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"All these questions are giving me a headache" said Natalie.

"Well, maybe Bishop won't mind giving us a little private time" said Sig.

"I have a job to do and it involves asking questions" said Bishop hotly.

"Maybe later" whispered Natalie.

Sig nodded and moved so Natalie could scoot by, she purposefully dragged her breasts along his arm. Sig looked down at his arm and wondered if the tingle was from the friction or if he was having a cardiac event.

"Hey" said Bishop calling him back to reality.

"Yeah" said Sig tiredly.

"How about I finish up and then I can give you a real massage" she suggested with a wink.

"No thanks" said Sig. "I have some paperwork to do."

Bishop humphed quietly before seeking out more receptive pastures.

Natalie woke up hours later and made her way quietly into the kitchen. Usually the crew slept the entire trip back to Dutch but there was a tradition to wake up for one meal. This was affectionately known as the "trip in" breakfast and Natalie wanted to make it special. Her first thought was steak and eggs but she had made that before and while well received it wasn't really that special. She decided on breakfast burritos with homemade tortillas. It took less than an hour before everything was on the table.

"What's for breakfast today?" asked Edgar.

"Breakfast burritos" said Natalie. "With steak, cheese, pico de gallo, beans, rice, eggs and tortillas."

"Sounds amazing" said Edgar. "And I get to have the first one."

The other crew members slowly trickled into the galley, devoured a burrito or two before heading back to their racks. Jason appeared with a disgruntled Bishop. She was holding her notebook and looking upset. For a moment Natalie thought she was going to cry but then a mask slid into place and the moment was over.

"Burritos, seems like someone isn't too interested in making anything edible" quipped Bishop.

Before anyone could come to her defense Natalie handed Bishop and Jason their plates.

"Here you go" she said with a smile.

"Thanks Bug" said Jason cutting off whatever cutting remark was about to fly out of Bishop's mouth.

"Yeah, these are amazing" said Sig.

Natalie smiled graciously and then moved back into the kitchen to start the dishes. Jake jumped up and started to help.

"Jake, I have some interviews for you to do" said Bishop, her mouth still full.

"Sure, let me know when you're done eating and we can do it maybe outside" suggested Jake.

Bishop gave Jake a quizzical look as he turned and began helping Natalie clean the kitchen. He took his sweet time and made sure everything was spotless before joining Bishop out on deck.

Sitting in the stateroom Natalie was wearing a small tank top as her sexy outfit of the day. Norman had been chatting with her about what she normally did during the fall. Natalie had explained her business and how she did physical therapy as an at home therapist. She was licensed and contracted through certain insurance companies to help patients who'd been injured or suffered from chronic pain.

"That's really interesting" said Norman. "Have you worked more or less being out here?"

"I've definitely cooked more out here" said Natalie. "As for treatments, I'm not sure."

"The crew has never worked better" said Norman. "Usually by this time in the season we aren't even speaking to each other in the mornings. We're just running on fumes and pain killers."

"I can't believe the amount of pain you guys suffer with on a daily basis" said Natalie. "The cuts and bruises I've received constantly hurt and I'm only out on deck a fraction of the time you are."

"If you did it more you'd toughen up" said Norman.

"That's not something I'd really like to try" said Natalie.

Bishop burst through the door and it was like the air and happiness was sucked out of the room. Natalie smiled benignly knowing her presence there was enough to set Bishop off.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I sleep here" replied Natalie.

"I need to speak to Norman" said Bishop her voice hard.

"Thanks for asking so nicely" said Natalie.

"You don't have to go" said Norman. "I don't do interviews anyway."

Bishop put on a little pout which made Natalie's skin crawl. Norman just shrugged in response.

"It's ok, I'm sure I can find something else to do" said Natalie.

She grabbed her shower stuff and headed to the bathroom.

The hot water pounded over her body. She gave a tired sigh and closed her eyes, turning her head up so her face was splattered by the spray. The shower was tiny and she always thought it was odd that the shower head was set so low for a boat full of guys. Natalie reached for her shampoo and was shocked when she realized the bottle was almost empty.

"That dumb bitch" she said into the shower spray.

Natalie finished shampooing her hair and then sat under the spray until she was done soaping and rinsing every inch of her body. Her thoughts were swirling as she contemplated how to repay Bishop for using her shampoo. They were almost back to port, so she could buy more or ask Kale for more. She smiled evily and got out of the shower. Wrapping herself in a towel she snuck into her room and grabbed her kit. Back in the bathroom she popped off the top of the shampoo before rummaging through the little bottles in her massage kit.

"Aha" she exclaimed.

In her hand was a small vial or oregano oil. She poured it into the bottle of shampoo and shook it gently before replacing it in the shower. She knew Sig hated the smell of oregano oil, mixing it with the shampoo would douse Bishop in a very unpleasant smell. Smiling to herself she cleaned up the bathroom and went on with her day.

Sig handed over the big chair to Edgar for the last part of the trip into Dutch. The stack of paperwork was finally finished and Sig was confident they'd be delivering their required quota. Nick was up in the wheelhouse sitting in the chair waiting to chat with Edgar.

"I thought all of you guys wanted to sleep" said Sig.

"My room is too loud" said Nick.

"Why's that?" asked Sig.

Nick and Edgar shared a look as Nick prepared to answer.

"You know what never mind, I probably don't want to know" said Sig. "I'm to tired to care."

Sig walked down to his stateroom ignoring the snickers coming from the wheelhouse. He thought about calling Natalie for a treatment but decided he was even too tired for that. As he walked into the stateroom he noticed his clothes were strewn around the room. While he was messy while fishing he was fairly sure he didn't do this. Trying to figure out what the person was looking for he sorted through the mess of clothes. When he realized that nothing was missing he settled into his bunk and closed his eyes. He felt it had just been a moment when the door opened and someone walked in. Lifting his head sleepily he didn't even bother opening his eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked sleepily.

"Hi Sig" said Bishop.

"Hey. What time is it?" asked Sig.

"Early or late, who knows" said Bishop. "Can I come in?"

"Sure" said Sig.

He moved over in his bunk making room for Bishop. The second she lay down the scent hit his nose making him want to gag.

"What is that smell?" he asked.

"I just took a shower" said Bishop.

"With what?" said Sig. "It stinks."

Bishop sat up and smelled her hair, while the underlying scent was still citrus something else was overpowering it. To her it didn't smell bad, just different.

"I don't smell anything" she said.

"I do, go wash it again" said Sig. "I can't have you sleep in here smelling like that."

Bishop huffed and got up.

"In that case you can sleep by yourself" said Bishop angrily.

"It's better than sleeping with that smell" said Sig.

Bishop flounced out of the room making a point to slam the door and then for good measure opened it and slammed it again.

Sig sighed and rolled over going back to sleep without giving the incident a second thought.

The boat pulled into Dutch Harbor and made a beeline right into the dock at the processor. They were anxious to get the Northwestern unloaded. Two other boats were waiting to unload and Sig had just beat them into the harbor. Natalie sat outside in what was considered beautiful weather for Dutch Harbor. She was working hard on writing her grocery list while simultaneously writing down the brailer weights. Norman was on deck with her watching for dead loss and working on a few things while Jason filmed the offload. The rest of the guys were still asleep.

"Jason, do you need anything from the grocery store?" asked Natalie.

"Actually do you think you could get me some Visine? My eyes are killing me" he said.

"Sure, no problem" said Natalie scribbling it down on her paper. "It's probably from lack of sleep."

"No joke" said Jason. "I feel like a one person camera crew."

"What are you taking about?" said Natalie. "Bishop is constantly filming interviews."

"Really?" said Jason in surprise. "She hasn't dropped a tape since getting on the boat."

Natalie was shocked, she'd personally seen Bishop tape every single member of the crew.

"Seriously Jason, she has to have tapes. I've seen her do interviews" said Natalie.

"Maybe she does, but I haven't seen them and Discovery hasn't gotten any" said Jason.

"That's so weird" said Natalie.

"Clearly she has an alternative motive but I don't have time to figure it out" said Jason.

"What else do you need from the store" replied Natalie.

"Piece of mind" said Jason.

"I don't know if that's in season" said Natalie.

"Certainly not on this boat" said Jason.

"Bug, can you get some grape soda at the store" asked Norman.

"Sure, anything else?" she asked.

"No, just that" said Norman.

"Damn it, he just spoke and I didn't even have the camera on" said Jason.

"He's tricky like that" said Natalie with a smile.

The next few brailers were loaded and Natalie dutifully wrote down their weights before passing the tally sheet to Norman and heading to the store.

Natalie sat in a hot bath tub completely covered in bubbles. In her hand she clutched a glass of white wine, across from her Kale sat with her feet in the tub. Natalie had decided to take a detour on the way to the store. The unload would be going on for the next twelve hours so there was no need to rush back. She wanted to get some feedback from another girl on the situation on the boat.

"So what have you been doing?" asked Kale.

"Little things, wearing tighter clothes, rubbing up against the guys, little things like that" said Natalie.

"Is it working?" asked Kale.

"I don't know if the guys are noticing it but it's driving Bishop crazy" said Natalie.

"Well I guess that's the point right" said Kale.

"True" replied Natalie. "Oh I also caught her using the shampoo you gave me so I spiked it with oregano oil."

"What did that do?" asked Kale.

"It makes it smell yucky. Specifically yucky to Sig" said Natalie.

"How did you find that out?" asked Kale.

"I tried to use it when he had a cold and he couldn't stop saying how much he hated the smell of it" said Natalie.

"Do the other guys hate it too?" asked Kale.

"I don't know" said Natalie.

"But you don't care if she's with them, you only want to keep her away from Sig" prodded Kale.

"I don't know what I want" said Natalie. "I guess I know Sig's likes and dislikes better than the others."

"I wouldn't worry about her" said Kale. "Once she gets off the boat it's going to be a different story."

"What do you mean?" asked Natalie.

"Guys like a slutty girl for the easy sex, but they don't want to date the slutty girls" said Kale.

"A lady in the street but a freak in the bed" said Natalie.

"Whatever you say Usher" said Kale.

"She's got something going on" said Natalie.

Natalie went on to explain what Jason had told her about the tapes. Kale couldn't give an explanation to why Bishop was keeping the tapes. The bath stretched until it started to get dark.

"I should go, I don't want the store to close before I can get there" said Natalie.

"You still have a few hours before closing time" reassured Kale.

"Good to know" said Natalie. "Thanks again for letting me come over and use your facilities."

"Any time" said Kale. "It's nice to hold a conversation with someone who isn't trying to look down my shirt."

Natalie smiled and then made a point to look down Kale's shirt. Kale slapped Natalie lightly on the arm and then helped her blow dry her hair.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I'm really excited for this chapter. I would love feedback on what everyone thinks.

The last trip was underway and every member of the crew was already dreaming of home. Discussions turned away from fishing and the weather and moved towards vacations and family. There was less than a week before Thanksgiving and even though the fishing was hot, it seemed unlikely that the boat would be filled before the holiday. In expectation of this Natalie had purchased a turkey and all the trimmings so the crew could still have a delicious meal even if it wouldn't be at home. Sig was determined to go through the gear as quick as possible so he could make the final offload deadline and go home. Natalie had also decided to step up the game against Bishop. Kale had let her borrow a few tank tops and they had become Natalie's official outfit when not out on deck. A tank top and yoga pants, tight yoga pants. Thankfully the whole outfit was comfortable but she had to admit she felt a little ridiculous trying to look or feel even remotely sexy after working on deck for twelve hours and not showering, but it seemed to work. Bishop's outlandish behavior was getting more and more ridiculous.

"Natalie, did you get my visine?" asked Jason as he entered the galley.

"Yes, it's in the medicine drawer" said Natalie. "How's everything going?"

"Fine, glad this is going to be the last trip" said Jason. "I'm over working with Bishop. If she's on the boat again next year I'm not coming back."

"Do you really think she's coming back?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know, maybe" said Jason. "Everyone seems to love her."

"Who wouldn't love free blow jobs and whatever else she's doing for them" muttered Natalie.

"I would love her more if she actually shared her tapes" said Jason. "I don't even know what's going on."

"All her notebooks are in my room, you could just go look at them" said Natalie.

"I don't have time, I need to shoot B roll and finish up taking some notes on my other tapes" complained Jason. "I just hope that she has it all organized and notated when we get back to port. If not there is a chance neither of us will be back next year."

"Good Luck" called Natalie to Jason's retreating back.

Deciding she could be helpful she went into the stateroom she shared with Norman and Edgar to do a little snooping.

Edgar and Norman were elsewhere when she walked into the room. She'd confirmed Bishop was in the wheelhouse with Sig and had taken all precautions to prevent herself from being caught. Closing the door she wedged her body against the door after she pulled Bishop's bag out of the corner. Moving aside a few articles of clothing she hit pay dirt. Digital tapes were lined up in perfect rows, all dated and organized. Moving a few aside she reached underneath to the notebooks. She opened the notebook and tried to decipher the confusing short hand. Giving up after a moment she stuffed the notebook back into the bag. She'd decided she'd just take one of the tapes and have Jason look at it just to get an idea of what she was up to. Staring at the mass of tapes she tried to decide which one to take. The door opened a crack and Natalie slammed her body back to prevent it from opening any farther.

"Hey, what the hell is going on" said Bishop's angry voice.

"Sorry, but you can't come in" replied Natalie as she tried to stuff everything back in the bag.

"What are you doing in there?" asked Bishop.

"I'm, I'm" stuttered Natalie. "I'm masturbating."

Natalie shook her head at her choice of excuse.

"Wow, well in that case I'll give you a few minutes, unless you need some help" said Bishop through the door.

"No, thanks. I'm almost done" said Natalie.

She punctuated the last word with a completely over the top moan.

"That is hot" said a male voice from the other side of the door.

Natalie dropped her head to her chest and questioned her sanity for a moment before grabbing a tape, repacking the bag and getting it back into the corner. Sliding the tape under her pillow she took a few fast breaths and opened the door.

"Sorry for the delay" she said with a flushed smile.

"No, problem" said Bishop with a glint in her eye.

Natalie went to walk past her but she blocked her way.

"Want me to lick your fingers?" said Bishop.

"Um, no" replied Natalie.

"Why not?" asked Bishop with a pout.

Norman and Matt were standing in the hallway watching the entire conversation.

"Because, I already licked them myself" replied Natalie pushing past Bishop and all but running down the hall.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Matt. "You are so fucking hot."

"Thanks Matt" called Natalie over her shoulder.

Bishop frowned for a moment before turning to the boys with a wide smile.

"If you think that was hot, I can show you something ten times hotter" she said with a wink.

Natalie sat at the galley table slowly twisting her hair as she read. She'd managed to give the tape to Jason a few minutes earlier and she was anxiously waiting his signal that it was cued up and ready to watch. The rest of the crew was milling around as the boat was less than two hours from the first string. Jason caught her eye from the stateroom hall and Natalie slowly closed her book. He walked into the galley and looked around anxiously.

"Are we alone?" he asked.

"For now" said Natalie.

"Ready to watch?" asked Jason.

"Yes, did you look at it yet?" asked Natalie.

"No, I wanted to wait for you" said Jason.

"Then lets watch" said Natalie excitedly.

Jason and Natalie wedged their heads together trying to keep an ear close enough to the headphones to hear the dialog. The tiny screen on the camera flickered to life. The scene was in Sig's stateroom and the camera was angled strangely as if propped on a pile of laundry. While Jason noticed the odd camera placement and the shoddy shot placement Natalie noticed Sig. He was topless, his chest clearly visible to the camera. Her first thought was he was incredibly well built for someone who spent most of his time sitting in a chair. Her eyes drifted down his chest and noticed his waist was covered only by a thin blanket. Natalie was laying across his chest asking him questions.

"Sig who do you think will take over as captain when you retire?" she asked, her hand raking through his chest hair.

"Not either of my brothers" said Sig.

"Why's that" prompted Bishop.

"Well Norman is too quiet. To be a captain you have to be brash and outspoken. He's just not that type of guy" said Sig.

"And Edgar?" asked Bishop.

"He has a family that means more to him than the boat" said Sig. "You have to put fishing first while you're out here, which means you leave everything else at the dock. I don't know if he can do that anymore."

"So without your brothers as candidates, who is the next in line?" asked Bishop.

"No one. I'll just do it until I die" said Sig.

"You don't expect to find love" asked Bishop.

"Not really" said Sig. "I would have found it already if it was meant to happen."

Natalie was saddened by Sig's comment and hoped that in his heart he knew that wasn't true. Bishop asked another series of questions before Sig asked her to be quiet.

"You should be saving all these questions for the interviews" said Sig.

"Of course, you're right" said Bishop winking at the camera.

Natalie's mouth dropped open, it became clear in that moment that Sig had no idea he was being taped. Jason quickly shut off the tape.

"You need to return this" he said.

"Return it?" said Natalie. "We need to tell Sig what she's been doing."

"How many tapes were there?" asked Jason.

"A whole duffle bag full" said Natalie.

"Guestimate how many" said Jason.

"Maybe thirty" said Natalie.

"If they are all like this she'll have enough to do her own after dark series" said Jason.

"What are you going to do?" asked Natalie.

"The first thing is you have to return the tape" said Jason. "After that I'll figure something else out."

"Roger" said Natalie.

Natalie snuck down the hallway keeping here ears and eyes open for any sign of Bishop. Breathing a sigh of relief she slipped into her stateroom and ran straight into the girl she was trying to avoid.

"Bishop, I didn't expect to see you here" said Natalie.

"Really?" asked Bishop, her voice full of disdain.

"Yeah, I thought you'd be up with Sig. You two seem to be inseparable" said Natalie.

"We're close" said Bishop. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing, just getting my phone" said Natalie.

"What for? There is no signal out here" said Bishop.

"I want to play a game" said Natalie.

"If you have time to play games, I'm sure Sig would appreciate you cleaning up or something" suggested Bishop.

"Well when you start signing my paychecks I'll put some interest into your suggestions" said Natalie.

"Just trying to help you stay on the boat" said Bishop.

"That's not something I'm aspiring to do" said Natalie.

"Just one season and you're done? Sounds like your quitting" said Bishop.

"Um, I don't know how to respond to that" said Natalie.

"It's the truth" said Bishop.

"I guess it is" said Natalie.

Bishop clearly wanted Natalie to say something to challenge her statement but she remained silent. The tape in her sweatshirt felt like it was burning a whole in her stomach and all she wanted to do was get Bishop out of the room so she could put it back where she found it. The door opened and Jason's eyes widened when he saw who was in the room. Natalie smiled at him and then tried to send him a mental message not to say anything.

"Bishop, I want to go over the final notes before I have to film out on deck" said Jason.

"Sure" said Bishop.

She walked over to the bag and moved a few things around before pulling out a notebook. Natalie's heart skipped a beat as she held her breath, silently praying Bishop wouldn't notice the missing tape.

"Ready?" said Bishop waiving her notebook.

"Yes" said Jason.

They walked out the door together and Natalie jumped towards the bag and all but threw the tape back in. The door opened again and Natalie stifled a scream.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Edgar.

"Oh my God, you scared me" said Natalie.

"You are looking seriously guilty" said Edgar.

"Well I'm not" said Natalie.

"Right" said Edgar.

Jason and Natalie secretly met in the engine room using a tablet to converse. Writing back and forth they were able to talk about the next step in the plan. Natalie listed all the times she'd seen Bishop interviewing the members of the crew. Jason tried to decode Bishop's short hand but the code seemed impossible to crack.

_We need to get rid of the tapes, wrote Natalie._

_No, it represents hundreds of hours of tape. Even if most are shirtless sex scenes I could still use some of it during editing, wrote Jason._

_It could ruin the reputations of everyone on this boat, wrote Natalie._

_I need more hours of film or I'm fucked, wrote Jason._

_I think you could make up the hours. I'm willing to help you, said Natalie._

_You don't understand, this is my job. I need to produce a quality product of I won't be back next year and maybe won't be able to get another job, wrote Jason._

She placed her arm on Jason's.

"It's important" said Natalie.

"Fine, but you are going to have to do a lot" said Jason.

"I'm not afraid of hard work" yelled Natalie.

"Good to know because Bishop isn't making dinner tonight" said Matt from the door of the engine room.

"I'll be right there" said Natalie.

Jason followed her out of the engine room and caught her arm before she got into the common part of the boat.

"What do you want to do with Bishop?" he asked.

"You'll see" said Natalie with an evil glint in her eye.

"What's she plotting?" asked Matt as Natalie brushed past him.

"I don't know but I bet it's going to be good" said Jason.

The crew was in full swing, the pots were coming over the rail full. Sig was jamming gear down their throats. He was livid. Bishop sat across from him with the captain's cam trained on the throbbing vein in his forehead. The past twenty four hours had seen a complete breakdown of the smooth machine Sig was use to. Meals had stopped being cooked and no one was prepping bait or cleaning up. The galley looked like a pigsty and he had no idea why.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Sig.

"I think Natalie is trying to get fired" replied Bishop.

"Why would she be doing that?" questioned Sig.

"Because she hates being on this boat" said Bishop.

"Really? She works so hard" said Sig, more to himself than to Bishop.

"I think you should fire her" suggested Bishop.

Sig rolled his eyes and he completely ignored the rest of Bishop's questions.

Bishop smiled to herself. She was waging a crap talking war against Natalie. It would be better if Natalie was fired sooner than later. Bishop suspected something was up as Natalie and Jason were spending a lot of time together.

"What the fuck is going on down there" yelled Sig over the hailer.

"Everything is fine" answered Norman.

Sig glared at the monitor, he was watching Natalie and Matt chatting at the sorting table. Although they were both sorting crabs as fast as they normally did Sig hated the fact that they were talking while working. Natalie patted Matt's arm while pushing a pile of crab into the chute.

"Keep your hands to yourself" bellowed Sig over the hailer.

Everyone on deck looked around to see who was touching someone and then shrugged when nothing appeared obvious. Bishop laughed into her sleeve in a desperate attempt to avoid Sig's attention. He was clearly gunning for something, she just wasn't sure what.

Natalie sat in the stateroom going through Bishop's tapes, she'd counted 35 total and 11 notebooks full of hard to decipher notes. She had just put the last of the notebooks back in the bag when Bishop opened the door. When she walked into the room her eyes darted from Natalie to her bag repeatedly.

"Have you been going through my stuff?" asked Bishop.

"Yes, I was looking for a pair of underwear" said Natalie.

"Since your little outburst I haven't been wearing any" replied Bishop.

Natalie's face twisted into a look of absolute disgust.

"What are you doing going through my stuff?" asked Bishop.

"I just told you" said Natalie. "Shouldn't you be doing something with all those tapes."

"Oh, I'm going to do something with them, but nothing you need to worry about" said Bishop.

Natalie counted to ten in english, spanish, french and japanese in order to keep her voice calm and nonchalant.

"What are you going to do?" asked Natalie casually.

"If you must know, I'm going to pitch them to my boss as a kind of new after the catch kind of show" began Bishop. "Only this one is going to be a little more intimate."

Natalie's mouth dropped open, it all became clear. Bishop was going to show the guys in these very personal moments gossiping like a bunch of sorority girls.

"You can't" said Natalie suddenly. "You'll ruin their careers."

"This isn't a career, it's a job and they will be even more famous than they already are" said Bishop.

"What about their girlfriends and wives?" asked Natalie. "You're ruining their relationships."

"Oh please, they know the rules of the boat" said Bishop.

"What rules are those?" asked Natalie.

"That it's not cheating if you're out at sea" said Bishop.

"Why would women care?" asked Natalie deciding to try a different tactic.

"Because women love these guys, they are the stuff of fantasy and they have money to spend" said Bishop.

"I thought the main demographic was males eighteen to thirty five?" said Natalie.

"For advertisers yes, but I'm thinking of selling these little babies on the internet" said Bishop. "The uncensored versions and trust me they are hot."

"Where?" asked Natalie. "I can't imagine the Discovery store is going to have a space for x-rated videos."

"No, it won't be through Discovery at all, maybe Vivid or playboy" said Bishop.

"I thought there was a clause in your contract that said you couldn't be in any footage used for the show" said Natalie.

"So you've been talking to Jason" said Bishop. "I can always cut in footage of you, make it look like you're the girl in all the videos. It's all in the editing."

Natalie's face went from blank to irate. This stupid chick was going to ruin the lives of every single person on the boat.

"Don't look so surprised" said Bishop. "I hope you didn't think this job was the end all be all of my career. It's only the next stepping stone to get me what I want."

"You're going to ruin everyone's lives so you can what? Start making porn?" countered Natalie.

"Don't be naive, I could become an investigative producer, these tapes show how I can get people to take me into their confidence and they will tell me all their deepest, darkest secrets" said Bishop smugly.

"I won't let you do this" said Natalie suddenly.

"You can't stop me" said Bishop.

It took Natalie a split second to push Bishop into the bunk and grab the bag of tapes. She was out the door and down the hallway before Bishop had a chance to untangle herself from the bedding.

Natalie spun through the hallway with Bishop hot on her heels, her goal was to get to the deck. She turned the corner and had to decide if she could manage to open the heavy door to the deck before Bishop caught her or if she should try to make it through the wheelhouse. Bishop's hand raking across her back pulling her hair made the decision for her. Turning abruptly she headed up the stairs to the wheelhouse.

"He's never going to believe you" shouted Bishop from behind her.

"He doesn't have to" said Natalie breathlessly.

"What the fuck is going on" said Sig as Natalie breached the top of the stairs.

She didn't stop. She kept running across the room and when Sig reached out to try to grab her sleeve she dodged him easily.

"Trust me" she panted.

"Stop her, she's crazy" said Bishop.

"What is going on" repeated Sig.

Natalie didn't have time to give an explanation, she pried the door to the outside and flung it closed after her nearly severing Bishop's questing fingers.

"Mother fucker" yelled Bishop as she pulled her hand back.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" asked Sig.

"Shut up" replied Bishop as she opened the door.

Sig threw the boat into neutral and followed Bishop out the door determined to tell her that no one disrespected him on his boat.

Outside Natalie threw the duffle bag to the deck before taking the ladder stairs two at a time. Jason saw what she had in her hand and immediately trained his camera on the wheelhouse. He was rewarded by an irate Bishop falling through the doorway and then scrambling down to the deck. A moment later an equally angry Sig appeared.

"Bug, what's going on?" asked Matt as he went to grab the bag.

"Just saving some reputations" said Natalie as she scooped the bag into her arms and ran towards the stern of the boat.

"Be careful, the hatch is open" warned Jake.

Natalie looked down and deftly jumped over the opening to the tank. She secretly hoped Bishop would fall in, but she doubted she would be that lucky.

"You're going to run out of deck you stupid bitch" yelled Bishop, still in pursuit.

"That's where you're wrong" panted Natalie as she closed in on the stern.

She skidded to a stop her bare feet slipping on the slick deck boards. The rail was higher than she thought and she realized that she wouldn't be able to toss the heavy bag over from where she was standing. Pulling herself and the bag up a little she teetered the bag over the side. A moment later Bishop reached her and realized what Natalie was trying to do.

"If you're going to throw those over you're going too" she said.

Natalie realized what Bishop said a moment before she dropped the bag over the side of the boat. Before she could celebrate disposing of the tapes she felt Bishop's hands on her waist pushing her.

"Stop her" yelled someone from the deck.

In a show of strength that shocked Natalie to her core she turned and pushed Bishop as hard as she could. Bishop was bigger than her and before Natalie could find a better angle to push Bishop was already standing. The punch landed on her cheek knocking Natalie backwards. Pain exploded from her face and her eyes instinctively closed. The force pushed her into the stern and the momentum started to tip her over the side. She felt Bishop's hands on her thighs.

"This will be the first time we see someone go overboard, it will make great TV" said Bishop as she gave Natalie another push.

"No" yelled Edgar as Natalie tipped slightly.

Matt managed to reach the stern and grabbed Natalie before she went completely over.

"Stop them" yelled Sig.

Matt started to pull Natalie up when he caught a powerful right hook from Bishop. While not the first time he'd been hit in the face, it was the first time he'd been hit by a girl. Even though he was stunned Matt managed to hold onto Natalie. Using the last of her strength she pulled herself over the side and collapsed on the deck. Bishop was on her in a moment her hands wrapped around her throat choking her and trying to slam her head into the deck. In that moment Natalie realized that if she didn't act fast Bishop was going to kill her. Rolling slightly she pulled the knife out of Matt's belt and stabbed Bishop in the thigh. The scream that was emitted made everyone on deck freeze. Natalie scrambled out from under her and ran towards the house.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Because of it, I'm posting a little early.

The deck was completely frozen as if stuck on pause. Waves broke over the side of the rail as the guys stood around dumbfounded at what had just occurred. Matt was the first to recover and once he pulled himself off the deck he moved to stand over Bishop. She was crying angrily holding her thigh just above the knife.

"Call the cops, I want her arrested" she yelled.

"Maybe you haven't noticed but we're in the middle of the ocean" said Matt. "But if you want to call the Coasties be my guest."

Bishop thrust out her hand to Matt but instead of helping her up he simply walked away.

"Matt, why aren't you helping her?" asked Sig as Matt approached.

"She hit me. I don't owe her anything" replied Matt.

Sig huffed slightly at Matt's comment and walked briskly across the deck to where Bishop was sitting. Looking at the knife protruding from her upper thigh he called to his brother.

"Edgar, get the first aid kit" he commanded.

For a moment it looked like Edgar was going to balk at the request but instead he went inside for a moment before reappearing with the giant kit. Dropping the kit on the deck he stood behind Sig assessing the situation. His first thought was Natalie would be able to figure out just what was needed.

"Well?" asked Sig.

"Well what, you wanted the kit, so here it is" said Edgar.

"Everyone has lost their fucking mind" said Sig.

He bent over and rummaged through the kit until he found a compress. Just as he was about to pull it out of the kit a wave crashed over the side wetting everything.

"We need to get inside, it's a mess out here" said Sig. "Pick her up."

Edgar scooped Bishop into his arms and carried her across the shifting deck into the warmth of the house.

Setting her down on the bench seat in the galley Edgar stepped back allowing Sig to move in next to her. He assessed the situation and decided that the Coasties were probably required. He didn't want to pull the knife out in case the artery had been nicked. Edgar could see Sig's indecision and decided to offer a suggestion.

"Do you want me to get Natalie?" asked Edgar.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" said Bishop incredulously.

Edgar's eyes shifted to Bishop and he smiled evily.

"She's probably the only one on the boat who can make sure you're ok" said Edgar.

Bishop's eyes went wide in realization that the girl who stabbed her, who she tried to push over the side of the boat was the only person on the boat qualified to treat her injury.

"Fine" said Bishop.

Edgar went off to find Natalie. He returned a while later dragging a tear streaked Bug.

"Just fix her" said Edgar.

Natalie didn't even look at Bishop's face. Sig acted as assistant handing her a pair of scissors. She carefully cut Bishop out of her pants, learning first hand she hadn't been lying about not wearing underwear. Next she reached down and pulled the knife out of her leg with a ferocity that made Sig and Edgar both wince. The moment the knife cleared the skin she placed the compress on the cut and held it tightly. Holding it for only a minute she removed it and proceeded to clean the cut. Her face was a blank mask even as Bishop whined and moaned on the bench. The cut was barely oozing and the knife which had seemed so dangerous on deck was no bigger than the average kitchen paring knife. Natalie studied the cut and then reached into the first aid box for the stitches kit. She sewed three stitches into the skin, neatly closing the cut. The whole process took less than twenty minutes.

"Keep it dry" said Natalie curtly.

She started to walk away when Sig caught her arm.

"I need to talk to you" he said seriously.

Natalie just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Sig sat her down on the bench seat and then started to pace. Natalie cast her eyes around the wheelhouse wondering how long it would be before fishing resumed. Jake popped his head into the wheelhouse and was immediately told to go back out.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Sig.

"I was just trying to" began Natalie.

"You know what, don't talk" interrupted Sig. "You just stabbed someone on my boat."

"She tried to push me over the side" said Natalie.

"So" said Sig.

"So, she was trying to kill me" said Natalie.

"Why?" asked Sig.

Natalie just looked away, she couldn't respond.

"Well?" prompted Sig.

"She was trying to ruin you and everyone else on this boat" said Natalie.

"How?" asked Sig.

"She was filming personal conversations" said Natalie.

"That's what she does, that's what we signed up for" said Sig exasperatedly.

"Her films were personal, intimate" explained Natalie.

"It's fine, we agree to that" said Sig.

"No, you don't understand" said Natalie.

"Then tell me" said Sig.

"I saw her talking to you in your room" said Natalie. "You were talking about your brothers."

"You are remanded to quarters" said Sig stoically.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"You are remanded to quarters" repeated Sig.

"My quarters?" queried Natalie.

"Yes" replied Sig. "You'll stay there until we get to port."

"Fine" said Natalie.

She stalked to the wheelhouse door before turning back for one last comment.

"Sig Hansen you are an amazing fisherman, but you suck at life" said Natalie.

Sig opened his mouth to respond but found he had nothing to say.

Natalie sat grumpily in her bunk, she'd been sitting there for the past 3 days doing nothing but sleeping and reading. Norman and Edgar had been in the room for less than 3 hours a night to sleep. Sig was pressing the crew to finish the trip as quickly as possible. Natalie hadn't eaten in the galley she was only allowed to go to the bathroom and return to her room. When she wasn't reading she was sleeping and her dreams were unsettling. She'd stop wondering if it was day or night, she knew time was passing but she didn't know how much. Edgar and Norman trudged into their room dropping into their bunks like lead weights. They slept for five hours before Sig walked into their rooms and flashed the lights signaling to the guys that nap time was over.

"Time to make the donuts" said Edgar with a groan. "Hey Bug, any chance for a massage? My back is killing me."

"Huh?" replied Natalie sleepily.

"Back treatment?" said Edgar slowly.

"Sure" said Natalie.

She dropped over the side of the bunk landing deftly on the floor. The first thing Edgar noticed was that she wasn't wearing pants. She had a tank top on and a pair of shorts. The second thing he noticed was the bruise around her throat.

"Ok, I'm ready" said Natalie. "Lay down."

"Norman, where is the flashlight?" asked Edgar.

"Here" said Norman handing it over.

Edgar shined the light into Natalie's face before tilting her head up.

"Stop, that hurts" said Natalie trying to dislodge his hand.

"Don't move" said Edgar.

Norman stood up and walked over to see what the hell Edgar was going on about. He was shocked to see the clear outline of each of Bishop's fingers on Natalie's skin.

"If you're done looking down my top or whatever I'm ready to give you a treatment" said Natalie.

"Great" said Edgar.

"By the way your tits look great" said Norman.

"Thanks" said Natalie with a smile.

Edgar lay on the massage table as Natalie pressed into his sore muscles. He made only soft groaning noises as she passed over his painful discs.

"How much longer until we're done?" asked Natalie.

"Probably a couple more days" said Edgar. "We're already stacking gear."

"What day is it?" asked Natalie.

"You'd have to ask Sig that" said Edgar. "I have no idea."

Natalie didn't respond she just finished massaging Edgar's shoulders and then moved back into her bunk.

"Why do you want to know what day it is?" asked Edgar.

"Because, Thursday is Thanksgiving. I bought a turkey. I don't want it to go to waste" said Natalie.

"Oh" said Edgar with sudden understanding.

Edgar left the room a few minutes later leaving Natalie laying forlornly on her bed.

Jake and Matt were the last onto the deck, Sig had been yelling about their slacking for the past 5 minutes. They'd been finishing up the dishes in the galley. Since Natalie wasn't allowed out of her room and Bishop was "not able" to do anything more than lay in Sig's bed and sit in the wheelhouse they crew had moved back to cooking for themselves.

"I fucking hate this boat" complained Matt.

"Lets just get this shit done and go home" said Edgar.

"No joke" replied Jake.

The grind was painful but each pot over the side, each crab in the tank, was one step closer to home.

"25, two five" said Edgar into the loudspeaker. "By the way what day is it?"

"Why do you want to know?" replied Sig over the hailer.

"Just wondering if it's Thursday" said Edgar.

There was a pause and then Sig returned to tell them it was in fact Thursday. Edgar called Matt over and told him it was Thanksgiving and that Natalie had wanted them to have a turkey dinner.

"But she's not allowed out of the room" replied Matt.

"I know" said Edgar. "I want you to cook it."

"Seriously?" said Matt. "I don't want to do that."

"It's important to her" said Edgar.

Matt looked at Edgar and then nodded. He disappeared into the house and returned a moment later when Sig questioned where he was. That's the way it went all day, Matt would disappear into the galley for as long as he could before someone would notice his absence. Finally Matt started to slip into the galley through the window from the deck. Edgar would hoist him into it and he would return to the deck through the regular door.

Matt charged down the hallway towards Natalie's stateroom. He was anxious as time was running out before dinner needed to go into the oven. It had taken him all day to prep everything for the Thanksgiving meal. Bursting through the door he found Natalie asleep in her bunk.

"Bug, get up" called Matt.

He received no response and climbed up to shake Natalie. She was sleeping heavily her breath coming in short gasps. He saw the purple bruising around her neck and used his hand to pull back her hair. Running his fingers across her cheek he called her name softly. Natalie stirred slightly before falling back into sleep. Matt huffed and then shook her shoulders.

"What" said Natalie, shocked by the rough treatment.

"Hey, I need some help with dinner" said Matt.

"Is it Thanksgiving?" said Natalie.

"Yes, but you didn't buy any stuffing" said Matt.

"Oh, yeah. That's what the White Castle hamburgers are for" said Natalie.

"What!" said Matt.

"It's delicious. Stuff the turkey with the frozen burgers and it will be amazing" said Natalie.

"You are fucking kidding me" said Matt. "You want me to stuff a turkey will burgers."

"Yes, it's amazing, trust me" said Natalie.

"I thought you were all into healthy food" said Matt.

"I am into healthy living and sometimes splurging on delicious food is just as important as eating roughage" said Natalie.

"Whatever you say" said Matt. "I have to go before Sig starts looking for me."

"Good luck with dinner" said Natalie.

Matt scuttled out the door and Natalie returned to the land of nod.

Hours later everyone sat around the galley table, everyone except Natalie. Matt had set a huge table, the center piece was the golden brown turkey. The traditional sides were all in attendance; mashed potatoes, yams, green beans and gravy. While it was strange that Natalie wasn't there, nobody seemed to notice.

"How did you make this turkey?" asked Sig.

"It took a while, but I managed" said Matt modestly.

"It's amazing" said Sig. "I've never had stuffing like this."

"It's stuffed with White Castle burgers" said Matt.

"No, really. How did you make it?" asked Sig.

"I just told you" said Matt.

"Well, honestly it's delicious" said Sig.

"Um, thanks" said Matt.

He felt guilty that he didn't give credit to Natalie, but it had been decided by the crew not to mention her name to Sig unless absolutely necessary. Dinner was consumed in record time and everyone scraped their plate clean. Jake opened the pumpkin pie for dessert and passed it out to everyone. It took him a moment to figure out why he had an extra plate in hid hand, instead of taking it to Natalie he slid it back into the pie tin. The dishes were piled into the sink and everyone slunk into their bunks.

Two days later the tanks were stuffed, the pots were stacked and the Northwestern was headed back to Dutch Harbor with their final offload. While the crew was securing the deck Jason snuck into Natalie's stateroom.

"Hey" he said waking Natalie up.

"Oh, hi Jason" she replied her voice sounding weak.

"I just wanted to see if I could tape a final interview" said Jason.

"Sure. I owe you at least that" said Natalie. "I wanted to help you make up the tapes I threw overboard and I didn't get a chance."

"Are you kidding?" said Jason. "I taped everything you did on deck. I'm going to get the season preview. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm glad it all worked out for you" said Natalie.

Jason pulled his camera up and turned it on. Natalie smoothed down her hair and got ready to interview.

"Ok Bug, what have you been doing?" asked Jason.

"Nothing. I've been remanded to quarters so I've just been here" she said.

"How long have you been here?" asked Jason.

"Um, since the incident" said Natalie.

"Have you left the room at all?" asked Jason.

"Just to go to the bathroom" said Natalie.

"You didn't make the Thanksgiving dinner?" asked Jason.

"No. I just gave Matt directions" said Natalie.

Natalie yawned, tilting her neck back, revealing her bruise. Jason zoomed in immediately on the injured skin. Because he'd paused in his questioning Natalie trained her eyes on him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, just looking at you" said Jason.

"I know, I'm gross. I haven't taken a shower for way too long" said Natalie.

"Ok, back on target" said Jason. "Why did you do that to Bishop?"

"Are you kidding? said Natalie. "You know exactly why I did it. She taped Sig in a completely personal and inappropriate situation that he was completely unaware of."

"Sig doesn't think that" said Jason.

"That's fine" said Natalie, her voice quieting. "I just want to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"If he doesn't have any loyalty to you, then why do you have so much for him" asked Jason.

Natalie stayed quiet for a moment before answering with a shrug.

"No, not an answer" said Jason.

"I suppose the reason is that I care for him" said Natalie. "And I don't want to see him hurt, either professionally or personally."

The boat pulled into the Trident processor with only moments to spare. Sig had boasted on his quick catch and the processor had pressed him with a ridiculously in date. He hadn't slept since hearing of the new deadline and now that the tanks were opened he fell into his bunk exhausted.

"You can't sleep yet" said Bishop.

"I'm done" said Sig. "We've talked for the last 22 hours."

"Yeah, but those were for Discovery" said Bishop. "These are just for me."

Sig lifted his head to see Bishop completely naked approaching his bed like a tigress. That was the last thing he was interested in.

"No thanks" said Sig. "The trips over and I need to sleep."

"Fine" said Bishop.

"Come in to bed" said Sig. "But don't expect any talking."

Bishop cocked her head to the side before taking the few steps to reach the bed.

"Honestly Sig, I really need this tape" said Bishop. "It's something for me to remember my time with you."

"Well it's not going to happen right now" said Sig.

Bishop huffed angrily before stopping the recording. Deciding she could play Sig as an impotent she collected her stuff and stalked out of the room.

Natalie laid listlessly in her bunk. She had heard the guys talking about reaching port but she couldn't bring herself to leave the bed she'd been in for the past 10 days. For the past two days she'd been feeling sick. While the crew slept, so did she. She hadn't even left to go to the bathroom. Laying quietly on the bunk she tried to list what she needed to do but her thoughts wouldn't become cohesive. Edgar came bustling in and began to pack his bag.

"I can't believe you're still here" he said. "I mean after the week you've had I can't imagine why you're here. I mean even loyalty has it's limits."

After a beat Edgar looked up at Natalie's bunk.

"Bug, it's over, you're free to leave" he said.

Wondering why she didn't respond he started shaking her shoulder. He got no response. His alarm was raised when she failed to respond to even him lifting her off the bed. Grabbing the boat phone off the wall he called the wheelhouse.

"What" said Nick.

"Call 911, Natalie's sick" said Edgar.

"Roger" said Nick in reply.

The roar of the sirens cut through the air of the Dutch Harbor docks. Edgar sat with Natalie in his arms, waiting for word of the ambulance's arrival. Norman had chosen to act as liaison between the deck and Edgar. He walked back and forth at the sound of any approaching vehicle. So far he'd gotten Edgar for half a dozen cars. Finally he spotted the Ambo and sprinted inside to the stateroom.

"It's here" he said.

Edgar scooped up Natalie, she was in the same exact position he'd carried Bishop off the deck a mere 10 days earlier. He emerged on deck and met the paramedics reluctantly handing Natalie over to their waiting arms.

"What did she eat or drink in the last 24 hours?" asked the paramedic.

Edgar hesitated before answering.

"I don't know."

"Ok, does anyone else on board know?" countered the paramedic. "It's important."

Edgar did a quick poll of everyone on board and came up empty. No one remembered giving Natalie anything to eat or drink in the past 24 hours.

"Ok, we'll have her at the clinic, if they can't handle the issue she'll be medivac'd as soon as possible" said he paramedic.

He passed Natalie onto the dock and she was in the rig before anyone volunteered to go with her. The crew watched the ambulance speed off.

"What just happened?" asked Jake.

"I don't know" said Edgar.

Bishop appeared on deck, her camera trained on Sig's observation of the offload.

"What just happened?" Sig asked.

"Bug, just got taken to the hospital" said Edgar.

"Why?" asked Sig.

"We don't know" said Edgar. "But it seems serious."

Bishop trained her camera on Sig capturing his concern.

"I'm sure it's nothing" she said.

Sig's frown deepened for a moment before he walked gingerly away from the camera.

**Sorry about the cliffy.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Barely got the chapter in before Easter. I hope all of you fine readers enjoy your holiday. I've loved all of your reviews and I hope you love this chapter.

The paramedics quickly went through the standard check list, checking airway, breathing and vital signs. Natalie felt a sharp prick in her arm and tried desperately to move away from the pain. The jostling of the ambulance made starting the IV difficult, but it was also hard because finding a vein on Natalie's arm was almost impossible.

"Don't struggle" said the paramedic. "We need to start an IV."

Natalie tried to nod her head but all she could do was close her eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of you" said the paramedic.

The trip to the medical center was quick and once the ambulance pulled into the drive way the paramedics pulled the gurney out of the back and wheeled an unconscious Natalie into the building.

"What have we got?" asked the ER doctor.

"Approximately 25 year old female suffering from severe dehydration, she just came off the Northwestern" said the medic. "We pushed half a liter of saline en route."

"Was she conscious at all?" asked the doc.

"Yes, initially" said the medic. "Although we got no history."

"Who came with her?" asked the doc looking around.

"No one" said the medic.

"Thanks" said the doctor.

He turned and followed the patient into the treatment room, wondering who this girl was.

Sig stalked into the galley with the other crew members on his heels. Bishop hung back recording what she hoped would be a huge argument. Sig reached for a cup of coffee and then suddenly realized the pot was empty because the season was over.

"Ok, you've all got your checks. I'll get you booked on the first flight out tomorrow morning" said Sig. "Thanks for a great season."

"Sig?" began Jake hesitantly.

"What?" snapped Sig.

"Do you want me to get Bug's stuff together?" asked Jake. "You know take it to the hospital for her?"

Sig turned, his face completely stunned in the realization that they'd put Natalie into the ambulance by herself without so much as a change of clothes. Self loathing seeped into every member of the crew as they realized they'd abandoned one of their own.

"No" said Sig. "I'll do it."

"Roger" said Jake.

Sig walked briskly out of the galley leaving the rest of the crew members to dismiss themselves.

Sig flipped on the light in the stateroom and started searching for Natalie's seabag. He found it in the corner stuffed under a few pillows. Most of the clothes were inside or next to the bag which made packing it up pretty simple. Under a pile of towels Sig found a leather bound book. Picking it up he flipped through the pages and saw if was filled with neat handwritten notes. He was just about to read through some of them when the door opened. Jason and Bishop both filed into the room.

"What's up?" asked Sig.

"I just wanted to invite you to dinner" said Bishop.

"Oh yeah?" asked Sig distractedly.

"Yes" answered Jason. "We want to take you and the crew out as a thank you for all the help you gave us this season."

"Fine" said Sig. "Where and when?"

"Aleutian Hotel, 8:30" said Jason.

"We could meet a little early for drinks" said Bishop with a wink.

Jason rolled his eyes at the comment and made a beeline out of the room. Sig just shrugged noncommittally and then turned back to the task at hand.

"I could do that for you" volunteered Bishop.

"No thanks" said Sig.

"We could fool around a bit" said Bishop suggestively.

"No thanks" repeated Sig.

"Fine. See you tonight" said Bishop with a huff.

Sig just waved her off and continued to collect Natalie's things from around the room. Under a pillow he pulled out a small piece of fabric, it was incredibly soft with satin edging. It looked like a tiny baby blanket. Stuffing it into the bag he went to put the journal on top. Giving into his curiosity he opened the book to the first page. The book was separated by small tabs each color corresponding to a member of the crew. Edgar's was the first section and Natalie had detailed each symptom and treatment. She'd written about various injuries and possible therapy exercises. He flipped through the book until he reached his section. Headaches was written at the top of the page and underneath was a list of what he assumed Natalie considered possible causes. They ranged from the mundane listing of stress to the more exotic suggestion that the room needed Feng Shui. Sig smirked at the idea of rearranging the wheelhouse.

"Obviously she doesn't realize that everything is nailed down" he said to himself.

He flipped through a few more pages and stopped when he reached a section that looked more like a diary. Without hesitation he started to read.

_This boat is ridiculous. While the crew does the best they can to stay safe on deck there is no way to protect against Mother Nature's wily spirit. Waves crash over the deck from every direction and the boat lists constantly, like being on a teeter totter going over Niagara Falls. It's a wonder the injuries aren't more severe. The exhaustion of the crew is terrible but a blessing it that it's just physical. They are able to fall into their bunks and recharge their batteries. I'm more concerned about Sig, even in sleep he is thinking about planning and charting. Where as the crew gets to forget about their time on deck there is no such respite from the requirements of the captain. I think Sig's headaches are born in stress and raised in an irrational expectation of perfection. The scathing and often savage comments tossed to his crew are always first pressed to himself. My plan is to do my best to keep every member of this crew physically healthy as well as give them a little mental break from this parlous job. _

Sig was surprised at her flowing prose and her insight into life on the boat. He flipped ahead and stopped at a page that seemed to have been spilled on. It was only after he began to read the entry that he realized that tears marred the paper.

_Chris got hurt today. I'm not sure how it happened. I feel terrible. I should have done more. I always assumed the Northwestern crew were in the most danger of getting hurt, but today I realize it's everyone on the boat. We all have the same chance of dying. I think Chris may loose his arm. I'm not sure. I sat with him all night and all he kept saying was how sorry he was for letting Sig down. He'd made Sig a promise to stay out of trouble on deck and Chris thinks he failed miserably. I feel like I failed Chris. We should have watched better, anticipated, gotten to him faster. I replay the moment in my mind and it seems like I'm always too far to help. At least I got his camera for him. The cuts and bruises almost seem like penance. Each one giving me a little more forgiveness for letting him down. _

Sig sighed and flipped towards the back of the book.

_I feel sick. I think it's all in my head. My dreams are torturous visions of Bishop and Sig's wedding. I hope they are merely nightmares and not a glimpse into the future. Maybe I'm just jealous and Sig really does know everything she's taped. I can't imagine he does. Why would he agree to be filmed having sex with her. He's too private for that, but then again maybe he's not. What do I really know about him? Maybe my view is just a romantic notion and the reality is the guy on screen rutting like a dog in heat. _

Sig slammed the book shut. She thought of him as a dog in heat. His cheeks flamed at the thought of Natalie seeing such a personal moment. In his haze of anger he didn't even connect that Bishop must have taped them having sex. He stuffed the book into the bag and as he was about to walk out of the door he found a notebook sitting in the corner. He snatched it up stuffing it into the bag before walking out.

The clinic was cold but inviting. The doctors and nurses that rotated through the tiny hospital had a special place in their hearts for the men and women of the fleet. They saw first hand the rough conditions and body mangling work the fishermen endured. They also saw the brotherhood that existed. So it was surprising that the close knit crew of the Northwestern had sent this pixieish girl to the clinic suffering from a dehydration with not so much as a name.

"Are you sure there wasn't any ID?" asked the nurse.

"Nope, she came off the boat just like this" said the paramedic. "It was a scoop and run."

They both looked at Natalie's sleeping form. The dark circles under her eyes were still pronounced but her eyes no longer seemed sunken.

"She's quite pretty" said the nurse.

"Yeah" replied the medic.

"Who handed her over?" asked the nurse.

"Edgar" said the medic.

"But he's married" said the nurse.

The paramedic's eyes slid sideways to look at the nurse. He knew what she was suggesting but based on the state of the girls body she'd definitely worked on the boat and not just on her back. The nurse's pager rang and she excused herself from the room. Once she left, the paramedic approached the bed. He didn't feel it right for the mystery girl to wake up alone. Pulling up a chair he propped his feet on the small end table and grabbed the remote. He had just closed his eyes when an irate Sig Hansen burst into the room.

"Who the hell are you" asked Sig.

"Um, Kyle" said the startled paramedic.

Sig's eyes suddenly fell upon Natalie's still form. The tube in her arm and the small nasal cannula looked ominous.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Sig.

"She's severely dehydrated, she was probably a few hours away from the start of renal failure" answered the paramedic.

He stood up briskly and began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?" asked Sig.

"I was just sitting with her so she wouldn't wake up alone" said Kyle. "But you're here now, so I'm going to get back to work."

Sig just nodded, Kyle's words dissipating some of his anger. A moment later a nurse appeared.

"Ah Captain Hansen" she chirped. "We were wondering when one of your lot would get here. You must have been quite busy to fail to send someone with her."

"Yeah" said Sig distractedly.

"We need some information for the chart" said the nurse.

"Sure, what do you need" said Sig.

"For starters, her name" said the nurse.

"Natalie" said Sig.

"Last name?" asked the nurse.

"Moore" said Sig.

"Date of birth" asked the nurse.

"I don't know" said Sig.

"Known allergies?" asked the nurse.

"I don't know, probably none" said Sig.

The nurse raised her eyebrows and scanned the rest of the form. Hopefully the young lady, Natalie, would wake up soon so she could fill out the form properly.

"Thank you, that's fine for now" said the nurse curtly.

She turned to walk out the door.

"Why is she sleeping?" asked Sig.

"The doctors gave her a sedative to give her body a chance to recover" said the nurse. "She was close to death."

"Thank you" said Sig, his eyes never leaving Natalie's sleeping visage.

A few hours later Bishop paced the hotel bar at the Aleutian Hotel. She'd expected Sig almost an hour ago and had called his cell repeatedly but received no response. Huffing angrily she turned back to the bar and snapped her fingers to get the bartender's attention.

"Hey! I need a drink" she said.

"What can I get for you" said Kale.

"God, you still work here?" said Bishop snidely.

"Yep" said Kale.

"Give me a gin and tonic" said Bishop.

Kale made the drink and set it down in front of Bishop.

"Five twenty five" she said.

"Put it on Sig Hansen's tab" said Bishop.

"He doesn't have one" said Kale.

"Of course he does, every captain does" said Bishop.

"Sig doesn't have one" repeated Kale. "But I can put it on Blake Painter's tab for you or maybe Elliot Neese's."

"Blake doesn't fish out here any more" said Bishop smartly.

"The Ramblin Rose is in town, which means so is Elliot" said Kale. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind buying his girlfriend a drink."

Bishop dug into her pocket pulling out a ten dollar bill and slamming it on the bar. She grabbed her drink and stormed into the dinning room. Kale smiled smugly and collected the money.

"Hey" said Nick as he walked into the bar.

"Why Mr. Mavar, long time no see" said Kale with a smile.

"Was that Bishop?" he asked casting a glance towards the dinning room.

"Yep" said Kale.

"Why's she here so early?" wondered Nick.

"Waiting for Sig, I imagine" said Kale.

"Yeah, whatever" said Nick.

"How's Natalie?" asked Kale.

"She's in the hospital" said Nick.

"Oh my God, is she hurt?" asked Kale.

"No, sick" said Nick. "She got really sick during the last trip."

"What happened?" asked Kale.

Nick told her the whole story, including the fight on deck and Natalie being forced to stay in her room.

"Wow" was all Kale could say in response to the incredible tale.

"Yeah it's a trip I'll never forget" said Nick.

"How's she doing?" asked Kale.

"I don't know. Edgar and Jake are going to head over after dinner" said Nick.

"Is she there all by herself?" asked Kale.

"I don't know" said Nick. "Maybe."

Kale paced behind the bar for a moment before calling the manager over to count her drawer. Ten minutes later she was striding to her car, destination the Hospital.

Sig sat next to Natalie's bed flipping through the channels. Finding nothing he was interested in watching he threw the remote down in disgust. It clattered on the floor causing Natalie to stir. Sig picked up her hand cradling it in his own.

"Bug. Natalie, wake up" said Sig. "Please, I'm so sorry. Please wake up."

Natalie murmured something unintelligible before falling back to sleep.

"Fine" said Sig. "Don't wake up, but I'm going to read your notebook."

The taunting didn't work, Natalie remained deeply asleep. Sig scoffed and rummaged through her bag pulling out the innocuous red notebook. Opening it he immediately noticed the handwriting was different. Looking closer it seemed to be written in some sort of strange code. Sig loved puzzles, a fact he kept well hidden from most of his crew. But after all it shouldn't surprise anyone, catching crab was the biggest puzzle of all and he did it year after year. Pulling out a few sheets of paper from the back of the notebook he began to do his best to crack the code. It took him almost an hour before he got the first letter, but after that it began to fall into place. After two hours he managed to figure out the whole code and started to decipher what was written.

_Opening Sig, naked on the bed. Getting penis would be great. Him talking about crab fishing, etc. Move on to more intimate topics. ie: what he looks for in a girl, if he's dating, etc. Tight shot on us, sex..traditional._

Then there was listed numbers, it looked to Sig like time stamps. He realized in horror that these were a complete list of all of his and Bishop's sexual liaisons. Angrily he flipped through the pages seeing listings of other encounters with other members of the crew. Reading more carefully he realized that she'd done something with each and every crew member. Some were as benign as a strip show, others were not. Sig felt sick as he read through each of the detailed notes.

"Natalie, I need to take care of something" he said grabbing her hand. "I'll be back in a while."

He looked at her for a moment, not really expecting a response. Finally he set her hand back on her chest and left the room, clutching the red folder in his arm.

Natalie's eyes fluttered open and immediately pain seared through her head. She clamped her eyes closed and prayed for the pain to stop. Counting to ten she slowly opened her eyes again, while this time it still hurt the pain seemed less intrusive. After a moment her eyes adjusted to the light and she blinked to focus. In the chair next to her was a fuzzy form.

"Sig" she called, her voice no more than a whisper.

"No honey, it's Kale."

"Hi" said Natalie sleepily.

"I'm so glad you're awake" said Kale. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore" said Natalie. "It's good to see you."

"I was really really worried" said Kale. "The nurses said you almost died. What happened?"

"Well, I guess it all started when I found Natalie's tapes" began Natalie.

"Nick filled me in on the fight on deck and you being remanded to your room" said Kale. "How did you get so sick?"

"I couldn't leave the room, except to go to the bathroom" said Natalie.

"Who brought you food?" asked Kale.

"No one, they were all busy. I didn't want to bother them" said Natalie.

"Seriously, you basically starved yourself to death because you didn't want to be a bother?" said Kale in disbelief.

"I didn't think anything was wrong and by the time there was I didn't care" said Natalie forlornly. "It wasn't like I did it on purpose."

"Seriously?" said Kale. "It seems like you did, like a little f-u to the crew that abandoned you."

"Honestly, I just didn't want to see Sig or Bishop. I was wrong. Sig knew about the tapes the whole time. He said so. I threw all her hard work over the side for no reason" said Natalie.

By the time she'd finished she was out of breath and sobbing hard.

"Shh, it's ok" soothed Kale.

"I, I just want to go home" said Natalie.

"Ok, we'll get you out of here" said Kale.

She left the room to speak to the nursing staff. Less than an hour later Natalie was being loaded onto a military transport plane evacuating a sick diabetic.

The Aleutian dining room was packed with crews celebrating the end of their season. Sig walked through the tables towards Bishop. When he approached the table he saw his crew stoically eating their celebratory meal. Jason looked up to catch his eye but Sig didn't even acknowledge him.

"Hi Sig" said Bishop happily. "I missed you for drinks."

Sig slapped the notebook down on the table.

"I was just catching up on some reading" said Sig.

Bishop looked down at the notebook and then back up at Sig.

"What's that?" she asked casually.

"Don't play dumb" said Sig.

"I'm serious" said Bishop. "I think I saw Natalie writing in something like that."

"Liar" yelled Sig causing everyone in the dining room to stare.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jason.

"This notebook contains a code. It's not written by But because she wouldn't do something like this" said Sig.

Bishop began to interrupt but Sig immediately cut her off.

"I've seen Natalie's handwriting and this is completely different" continued Sig. "Jason, I'm sure you could verify it's hers, you've seen it enough."

Jason flipped open the notebook and nodded.

"This book talks about each and every encounter she had with us, each hand job, each strip tease, each fuck. Written out in cold detail along with the times and the tapes they're on" explained Sig.

"What the hell?" said Nick.

"I know, a complete fabrication" said Bishop nervously.

"She gave me a blow job and let me fuck her in the engine room" volunteered Matt.

"I got a blow job" said Jake.

"I got a hand job" said Nick. "Although to be fair I didn't ask for one."

"Strip tease" said Edgar.

Norman stayed quiet, his face pale except for a pink hue to his cheeks.

"Well she fucked and sucked me the whole trip" said Sig. "And made me think I was the only one."

Bishop sat quietly, completely ignoring the entire conversation around her. Sig left first, followed immediately by the rest of the crew. They drove to the medical center only to find out Natalie was already gone.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews.

Sig sighed as he walked into Aleutian Hotel, he'd make a terrible misjudgment of character. He'd picked Bishop over Natalie with disastrous results. Now instead of being able to grovel while Natalie was safely sedated in a hospital bed he was stuck here while she was gone. Matt, Nick and Jake walked behind him as they passed through the lobby towards the bar. Everyone needed a stiff drink.

"First rounds on me" said Sig.

"What can I get for you?" asked the bar manager.

Everyone ordered their drinks and pulled up a bar stool. Sig planned to stay until someone had to lead him back to the boat. Edgar and Norman appeared a few minutes later. They'd had a huge bouquet of flowers for Natalie and hadn't wanted it to go to waste, so on the way back to the hotel they dropped it off with one of their favorite ladies. She decorated the russian orthodox church in Dutch. She'd been delighted by the amazing flowers. Pulling up to the bar behind Sig, Edgar ordered a coke and some fries. Norman quietly ordered a beer and then sat next to Nick.

"How many has he had?" asked Norman pointing at Sig.

Sig's head rested on the bar his eyes closed.

"That's his first" said Nick pointing to the half full vodka and coke.

"Oh" replied Norman.

Sig's phone buzzed on the bar and he lifted his head to read the caller ID. It was Jonathan, which he thought was odd. He let the call go to voice mail and was surprised when the phone rang again immediately. Realizing whatever Jonathan wanted was clearly important he picked up the phone.

"What" Sig barked into the cell.

"Hey Sig. It's John."

"What's up?" asked Sig.

"Who's on your boat?" asked Jonathan.

"No one. Everyone is here with me" said Sig, his concern growing.

"Not true, someone is on your boat right now. I'm standing on the dock and looking into your wheelhouse" said Jonathan. "Someone is clearly in there."

"I'll be right there" said Sig.

He slammed the phone closed and grabbed his coat.

"We've got a break in" he announced.

The guys were up and out of the bar in seconds.

They sped down the dock and arrived at the Northwestern in record time. Sig and the guys leapt onto the deck rushing towards the wheelhouse. They split up a few going up the outside steps and the others reaching the wheelhouse from the inside. Sig took the stairs two at a time with Edgar right behind him. When he got upstairs the wheelhouse was a mess, everything had been pulled out of the drawers. Age old maps were torn into shreds and every single sheet of paperwork from the season was flung on the floor. Hunched over the computer monitor was Bishop.

"What the fuck are you doing?" asked Sig.

Bishop's head snapped up, shock evident on her face. Her eyes darted behind Sig where she saw Edgar and Matt. She took a step back before running to the door leading outside. Her fingers were almost to the handle when it opened and she was confronted by Nick, Jake and Norman. Realizing she was surrounded she sighed and walked back into the wheelhouse.

"I asked you a question" said Sig.

Bishop said nothing.

"Call the cops" said Sig to Edgar.

Edgar pulled out his phone and walked down the stairs to make the call. The police were already sending a cruiser to their location based on reports of someone suspicious being on board.

"What else did you do?" asked Sig.

Bishop again remained tight lipped.

"Those maps were my father's and you ruined them" said Sig, his voice hard.

Bishop turned her head to the pile of torn paper on the floor. But again she said nothing.

"Jake, go look at the rest of the boat, staterooms, galley, engine room" ordered Sig. "I'm sure this isn't the only thing she's destroyed."

He was right, Bishop had slashed all the mattresses, torn the curtains and broken the coffee maker. Sig's room was completely destroyed, she'd even managed to break the wooden cabinets. Jake came back with his report and once the police arrived they took photos of all the damage. Bishop was arrested and handcuffed. While she was being dragged out she spat at Sig, missing him by a mile but her message was clear.

Sig was forced to stay a few extra days in Dutch filling out police reports and discussing the incident with the Discovery people. The repairs would be completed when they returned for Opies. The crew was desperate to go home and Sig reluctantly let them. He felt someone should stay with the boat, but the reality was everyone had something to get home to. His last stop before going to the airport was the Aleutian Hotel, he needed to pay off the bar tab. Walking into the bar he spotted Kale working.

"Hey" said Sig. "Just here to settle up."

Kale calculated the bill and then laid it in front of Sig. He slapped his credit card down without even looking at it.

"How's the boat?" asked Kale as she ran the card.

"Destroyed" said Sig. "But fixable."

"No worse wrath than a woman scorned" said Kale.

"God, no kidding" said Sig with a sigh.

Kale set the credit card and receipt in front of Sig and waited until she had his attention.

"You owe someone a huge debt of gratitude" she said seriously.

Sig raised his head, pausing mid signature.

"I'm serious" continued Kale. "Natalie completely saved your ass by getting rid of those tapes and you repaid her by starving her to death."

"I" began Sig.

"No. You don't get to speak" snapped Kale. "I suggest you think long and hard on what you should do for her. It needs to be huge."

Sig's head dropped to the bar with a thunk.

"Do you have any suggestions?" he asked his voice muted by the polished surface.

"Jewelry is always nice" said Kale.

"She doesn't even wear jewelry" said Sig.

"Yeah well who does on a crab boat" said Kale.

"Good point" said Sig.

Another customer stood at the end of the bar and Kale waved at him.

"Don't forget to give me a big tip" she said as a parting shot.

Sig slipped a hundred dollar bill onto the counter under the credit receipt and slowly walked out of the bar. His mind whirling about what he should do to get back into Natalie's good graces. He had no idea what the appropriate gift was for failing to protect someone or even thank them for risking their life for you after you repay their kindness by inadvertently trying to kill them.

Natalie had been flown to Anchorage where she was treated for dehydration. Her mother arrived on the day of her release anxious to take her baby home. The nurses were surprised as Natalie thanked them all profusely for all their care.

"Come on now sweetie, lets go" said her mom.

"Coming mother" said Natalie giving the last nurse a hug.

Natalie's mother walked quietly down the hall next to the nurse who was pushing Natalie in a wheelchair. It wasn't needed but it was hospital policy. Once she was loaded into the car her mother pulled out of the hospital drive.

"What happened Natalie?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" replied Natalie tiredly.

"Fine, we won't talk about it" said her mom.

"Thank you" said Natalie.

"I would like you to come home with me" said her mom sternly.

"You know what, that sounds great" said Natalie. "I could use some warm weather and some pampering."

"Excellent" said her mother happily.

"But I have to stop at home first" said Natalie.

"Whatever for?" asked her mother. "We can buy new clothes for you or you can just borrow some of your sister's."

"I need to go home first, I haven't been there for almost two months, I want to check on my stuff, I want to pack my own clothes for the trip" said Natalie.

"Fine" said her mom.

The car pulled into the airport and headed for a small hanger in the back. Her mother parked the car next to a red carpet and immediately the door was opened by a solicitous crew member.

"Mrs. Moore, so good to see you" he said with a broad smile.

"Thank you, we're making an unscheduled stop in Seattle" said Natalie's mom.

"Of course, we'll get the flight plan together immediately" said the man.

"Thank you" she said. "Natalie, get out of the car and into the hanger, it's freezing out here."

"Yes mother" said Natalie.

They were airborne in less than an hour. Natalie sat peacefully in the Gulfstream relishing the comfort of the chair and the quietness of the cabin. It seemed like forever since she'd traveled in such luxury. The plane touched down a few hours later in Seattle. A rented car was waiting on the tarmac for them. Speeding through the streets of Seattle the rain pounded against the windshield. Natalie made a mental list of things to do and what to pack once she got to her house. Her mom was anxious to get back to warmer climates and had given her an hour to get what she needed. Mother Moore had complained almost nonstop about the cold since arriving in Natalie's Alaskan hospital room. Personally Natalie actually enjoyed the rainy weather, to her it seemed like a perfect excuse to cuddle up with a warm cup of tea and a good book. Unlocking her door she walked into the foyer and glanced at the huge pile of mail on the side table. She smiled happily as she saw her plants were still alive. She walked upstairs to her bedroom and tossed her seabag on the bed. Deciding it was pointless to unpack she reached into her closet and pulled out a rolling suitcase. Setting it on the bed she started to pull clothes out of her closet.

"Natalie darling, those are too warm. It's hot in Costa Rica this time of year" her mom said.

"Fine, you pick the clothes and I'll finish the rest of my to do list" said Natalie.

Her mother nodded and began plucking clothes out of Natalie's closet.

Slipping downstairs Natalie moved into the kitchen and opened her fridge. It was still empty. She walked through the rooms watering her plants. Deciding that she'd need her house sitter for a little while longer she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Antha? It's Natalie."

"Hey Natalie, how are you?" asked Antha.

"Fine, just got home" said Natalie. "Listen, I'm going home with my mom for a few weeks. Can you keep watering my plants and bringing in my mail?"

"Sure" said Antha. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I don't really want to go into it. My mom is anxious to leave" said Natalie.

"Sure, no problem" said Antha. "Are you sure everything is ok?"

"I have to go" said Natalie. "Give my love to the kids and Edgar."

"Natalie" said Antha seriously.

"I'll tell you all about when I get back" said Natalie.

"Ok" said Antha.

"Tell Edgar to keep doing his exercises" said Natalie.

"Sure" said Antha. "Take care of yourself."

Natalie hung up the phone and sighed heavily. She hadn't even asked if Edgar was even home yet. Grabbing a pad of paper she wrote out a quick note for Antha explaining in the most basic terms what happened. She'd just finished the last sentence when her mom appeared with her suitcase.

"Ready to go sweetie?"

"Yeah mom" said Natalie.

"You're crying" said her mom.

"I'll be fine" said Natalie wiping her eyes.

"I know you will, you always are" said her mother knowingly.

"Lets go" said Natalie.

"Paradise awaits" said her mom with a smile.

Sig pulled into Edgar's driveway and after he killed the engine he just sat in the truck. He could see Antha moving around through the kitchen window. Taking a deep breath he opened the door and walked towards the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited for a moment before opening the door and letting himself in.

"Antha, it's Sig" he called.

"Edgar's at Matt's house" she yelled from another room.

"I came to talk to you" said Sig.

"Oh yeah? What about?" asked Antha.

"Natalie" said Sig.

Antha appeared in the doorway holding a baby on her hip.

"Let me put her down for a nap and then we can talk" said Antha.

"Sure, take your time" said Sig.

"There's coffee in the kitchen, help yourself" said Antha.

Sig walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He saw a plate of brownies on the counter and snagged one before sitting down at the small table. He heard Antha walking down the hallway and she appeared carrying a huge basket of laundry.

"Let me help you with that" said Sig.

"I got it" said Antha. "I'm going to throw in a load of laundry and then we can talk while I do the dishes."

Sig just nodded and watched Antha go about her chores. She finally poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Sig.

"Ok, what do you want to talk about?" asked Antha.

"I have something for Natalie" said Sig.

"She's not here" said Antha.

"Well I didn't really think she would be at your house, that would be too easy" said Sig. "But I hoped you had her address."

"I meant she's not in the country" said Antha. "She's on vacation with her mom."

"Oh" said Sig quietly.

"But I can take you to her house and you can leave whatever you have for her there" said Antha. "I'm watering her plants."

"How long will she be gone?" asked Sig.

"She didn't say" said Antha. "What happened anyway?"

"She didn't tell you?" asked Sig.

"No, we only spoke briefly" said Antha.

"I made a terrible mistake and I want to make it right" said Sig.

"What did you do?" asked Antha.

Sig sighed heavily and then slowly started to explain the entire ordeal. Antha listened quietly occasionally nodding.

"And then we went to the hospital and she was already gone." finished Sig.

"What do you need to give her?" asked Antha.

"Her cut from the season" said Sig. "The guys and I decided to give her a percentage from each of our shares, something to say thanks."

"When did you decide this?" asked Antha.

"During the last trip" said Sig.

"Before or after the whole Bishop fiasco?" asked Antha.

"Before" said Sig.

"I think you should give the check to her in person" said Antha.

"That's what I'm trying to do" said Sig exasperatedly.

Antha got up and grabbed the phone. She called Edgar asking him to come home as soon as possible.

A few hours later Sig and Antha were driving up the winding road to Natalie's house. Pulling into the arcing driveway Sig was surprised by the lavishness of the home. Antha opened the front door and walked into the foyer. Sig followed slowly unsure if Natalie would want him in her house.

"She's not here" said Antha.

"I know" said Sig.

Antha grabbed a watering can and started up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" asked Sig.

"I need to water her plants" said Antha.

"I'll just wait down here" said Sig uncomfortably.

"Fine with me" said Antha. "Look around, I'm sure she left contact information somewhere."

Sig walked into the kitchen and found Natalie's hastily written note. Reading her version of events made Sig sick to his stomach. Never in the note did she place blame on him or any of the other guys. Sig turned over the note and found an address and phone number. Antha appeared in the kitchen startling Sig.

"Did you find it?" she asked.

"Yes, she's in Costa Rica" said Sig.

"Then I suggest you book a flight" said Antha.

"She wrote something for you" said Sig passing Antha the note.

"Oh" said Antha setting down the watering can.

"You read, I'll finish watering her plants" said Sig.

"Sure" said Antha already skimming the note.

Sig walked slowly through the rooms watering Natalie's many plants. As he watered he glanced around the rooms looking at the tasteful decorations and comfortable furniture. Setting the water can on the floor he sat down heavily on the couch. Looking around the room he could imagine Natalie sitting here with the throw blanket on her feet drinking tea and watching TV.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Antha from the doorway.

"Just thinking about Natalie" said Sig.

"She loves that couch" said Antha. "Did you do all the plants?"

"I think so, there are a lot of them" said Sig.

"Natalie says they give off oxygen" said Antha. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah I'm ready" said Sig.

He pulled out an envelope and set it on the dinning room table.

"I thought you were going to give that to her in person" said Antha.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind" said Sig.

Antha studied Sig's face for a moment before shrugging and walking towards the front door.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter, the next one is already in the works.

The ride back to Antha's house was even quieter than the trip to Natalie's. Sig was trying to decide what he was going to do. He thought he knew the right thing to do and probably the wrong thing to do but he was currently trying to figure out what the Norwegian thing to do was. Antha politely gave Sig the silence he needed to figure out what he was going to do. She cast sly glances as his furrowed brow and wondered if she should just take pity on him and just tell him what to do. Deciding it wasn't her place and that he could succeed or fail on his own she kept silent. Her thoughts turned towards Natalie's note, it had just given a brief description of the events on the boat. The most surprising piece of information was that she'd stabbed Bishop in the leg. Antha didn't know Natalie had that sort of brutality in her, it made her like Natalie even more. It also brought up a huge curiosity in Antha, she needed to ask Edgar what had happened. She was sure his version of events would be the most interesting yet.

"I'm sorry" mumbled Sig.

"What for?" asked Antha.

Sig looked shocked for a moment and Antha realized he was practicing what to say to Natalie.

"Sorry for dragging you away from your family to go to Bug's house" said Sig after a moment.

"You call her bug?" said Antha.

"Yah, because I guess someone called her Nat like a knat, which is a type of bug" explained Sig.

"You guys are so weird" said Antha.

"You married one of us, so clearly you aren't all that normal either" said Sig.

"Well love conquers all" said Antha.

Sig nodded and moved his focus back to the window. He watched the streetlights fly by Antha drove the slippery roads back to her house. A ray of sunshine broke through the clouds making a beautiful rainbow. Antha noticed it first and smiled quietly to herself before speaking quietly to Sig.

"I think you have a sign off the starboard side."

Sig looked out the window and saw the rainbow. For the first time in over a month Sig smiled.

"I hope that's a good sign" said Sig.

"Maybe a pot of gold has been dropped off on my porch" said Antha.

"Who bought Natalie her house?" asked Sig suddenly.

"No one, she bought it herself" said Antha.

"It's a really nice house, how could she afford it?" asked Sig.

"She probably makes a fair amount of money doing physical therapy" said Antha. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering" said Sig.

"Can I offer you a bit of advice" said Antha.

"Sure, I'll take whatever advice I can get" said Sig.

"She can't be bought with money. She has plenty of it and it doesn't mean anything to her" began Antha. "If you want to gain her forgiveness for what you did, you need to show her how much you care for her."

"Like a piece of jewelry?" suggested Sig.

"No, by giving her something money can't buy" said Antha.

"Oh" said Sig his voice confused.

Antha sighed and concentrated on snaking the car through traffic. When they finally got to her house she slipped out of the car slamming the door behind her. She'd made it half way up the drive when she realized that Sig was still in the car. Walking around to the passenger side she tapped on the window making Sig jump.

"You can ponder inside, perhaps with a large vodka or something" said Antha with a smile.

Sig just nodded numbly and slowly unfolded himself from the front seat. Antha slung her arm in his and all but dragged him towards the house.

As they approached the house the roar from inside became deafening. Antha stopped a few feet from the font door. Sig had continued moving slowly forward and was surprised Antha had paused. He looked back at her and noticed a grimace straining her face.

"Well it's not going to get any better" said Sig.

"I know, but I wonder if I could just turn around and re-water the plants" said Antha with a sigh.

"It must be exhausting" said Sig.

"It's just" began Antha before shaking her head.

"Tell me" said Sig.

"When Edgar's gone the kids are on an amazing schedule, they are easily managed and well behaved. But now he's home and it's like adding another kid to the mix" said Antha.

"Well he is the youngest" said Sig.

"I want them to spend as much time as possible with Edgar, they love him so much" said Antha in a rush. "But all the noise and mess, it gets a little overwhelming.

Sig pulled Antha into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"It will be fine, we go fishing in another month or so" said Sig.

"But the sad thing is that I don't want him to go" said Antha. "It's all so confusing."

The door opened and Edgar emerged with Erik clutched to his leg.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Just debating whether I was going to come in or take another drive around the block" said Antha.

"Your little lady is dying to show you something" said Edgar.

Antha smiled happily and gave Sig's hand a gentle squeeze before walking inside to find Diana.

"What's wrong with Antha?" asked Edgar.

"Nothing, I think she was just a little overwhelmed by all the noise" said Sig.

Erik disentangled himself from Edgar's leg and leapt into Sig's arms.

"How are you munchkin" said Sig to his nephew.

"Good" said Erik happily. "Will you play trains with me?"

"Sure buddy" said Sig. "Go set them up and I'll be right there."

Erik scuttled happily into the house.

"Edgar, I think Antha would like more quiet time" said Sig seriously.

"Why?" asked Edgar.

"Because she didn't want to walk into your house because it was so loud" said Sig. "I imagine that's a sign that she needs more quiet."

"Sig, why don't you sort out your own life before you start trying to fix mine" said Edgar.

"Antha is an amazing woman and she deserves the best" said Sig. "She chose you when she could have had anybody. I would move heaven and earth if she was my wife."

Edgar looked slightly taken aback by the fervor of the statement. Sig walked inside to find Erik and his game of trains.

The whole Northwestern crew was at Edgar and Antha's house. Edgar was grilling out back and Antha was plying everyone with drinks. Jake was currently rocking Diana to sleep while Matt played trains on the floor with Erik. The house was blooming with activity and Sig sat quietly in a corner thinking of Natalie. He thought she would have loved to be here sharing this meal with all her friends.

"Sig, have another beer" said Antha handing him a cold bottle.

"Thanks" said Sig.

"Erik can't stop talking about the tunnel you made for him" she said sitting down next to him.

"Well it was fun" said Sig.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Antha.

"How much Natalie would have loved being here" said Sig.

"She would have been here if she wasn't on vacation with her mom" said Antha.

Sig just looked away. Antha patted him on the shoulder before walking over to check on the food. A moment later Matt sidled up and flopped heavily onto the couch next to Sig.

"What happened with Bug?" he asked.

"Nothing" said Sig morosely. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet."

"When you see her, if you see her" said Matt. "Tell her thanks for the exercises, they've really helped with my hands."

Sig looked down at Matt's hands. They looked normal, the knuckles didn't seem swollen and the usual cuts and bruises were absent.

"What did she do to your hands?" asked Sig.

"She put this wrap on them, it basically healed all the cuts and stuff as they happened" explained Matt. "Then we did some acupuncture and these flexibility exercises.

"I had no idea" said Sig.

"Well you were busy" said Matt dismissively.

"Shut up Matt" said Sig.

Matt just shrugged and got up to help Erik clean up.

Later that night everyone was sitting around the table picking at leftovers and shooting the shit. Antha reentered the room after putting Erik and Diana to bed. She went to the kitchen and pulled out a frozen bottle of vodka and a bottle of scotch. She set them on the table with an ominous thunk and returned with glasses for everyone.

"Pick your poison" she said.

"What's the occasion?" asked Nick.

"I want to hear what happened this season" said Antha.

"You didn't tell her?" said Jake to Edgar.

"He told me some stuff, but I want to know everything" said Antha.

As if on cue everyone at the table picked up a glass and poured themselves a large shot. Antha lifted her glass in a salute and shot back her vodka. Everyone else did the same. The group was silent for a few more minutes before Antha finally huffed in annoyance.

"Who's going to start?" she asked.

Everyone turned to Sig expectantly.

"I've already told her my story" said Sig defensively.

"The whole story?" said Norman in disbelief.

"That sounded like a volunteer" said Antha.

Norman shot her an annoyed glance and refilled his glass. He took a few small sips before pouring back the rest in one go.

"Well the first trip went great and then Chris got hurt" began Norman.

He continued detailing each event that led up to Bishop's arrival on the boat, after that the story became more vague.

"Stop" said Antha impatiently. "I want the truth, blow by blow. Not some pansy fairy tale."

"Fine" said Matt. "Here's the gist, she slept with all of us in order to get the tapes she wanted. Allegedly they showed us all in compromising positions spilling our secrets like a virgin on prom night."

"She slept with all of you?" asked Antha.

"One way or another she got all of us" said Matt.

"All of you" repeated Antha, this time slower.

"Yes" said Matt.

Antha's eyes got hard as they slid from man to man, going around the table until she landed on her husband. It took Matt a moment to realize what he'd suggested and by then he wasn't sure he'd be able to back pedal enough to save Edgar.

"I didn't sleep with her" said Edgar.

"But Matt said everyone" said Antha.

"I meant she did something to everyone" inserted Matt.

"Come on Matt, just quit while you're ahead" said Nick.

"So what did she do to you?" asked Antha.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Nick.

"Everyone" said Antha.

She settled back into her chair with a full glass of vodka.

"Well" she prompted.

"I had sex with her" said Sig tiredly.

"Me too" said Norman.

"Me three" said Matt.

"I got a blow job" said Jake.

"Hand job" said Nick.

There was only one person left and when Antha looked at Edgar he looked unconcerned.

"She stripped for me, down to her underwear. I saw her boobs" he said matter of factly.

"You didn't touch her?" asked Antha.

"Nope" replied Edgar.

"And she didn't touch you?" asked Antha.

"Nope" replied Edgar.

"What did she want to know?" asked Antha.

"She wanted to know how to get close to Sig" replied Edgar.

"What did she care?" said Antha.

"Thanks a lot" said Sig.

"Not what I meant" explained Antha. "Why was she so interested in getting close to Sig or would anyone of you have done the trick?"

"She wanted to sell the tapes for a different kind of show" said Sig.

"Like what?" asked Antha clearly confused. "Like a penthouse type of letters show?"

"Probably" said Sig.

"But you guys are so gross during the season, I mean you shower like once a week if you're lucky" said Antha. "Why would she want to put her mouth anywhere near any of you."

"Clearly she did" said Sig defensively.

"What did she do to Natalie?" asked Antha.

"She kissed her once" said Edgar.

"And fondled her while she slept" added Norman.

"What a weird chick" said Antha. "What happened to make Natalie feel the need to destroy the tapes?"

"She thought they were going to ruin the boats reputation" said Sig.

"She risked her life to get rid of those tapes" said Matt. "I think Bishop would have pushed her over the side without a second thought. And then she strangled her."

"Strangled her" chorused Sig, Edgar and Norman.

"Yeah, when they were struggling on deck. Bishop had her hands around Bug's neck, that was why she stabbed her" said Matt.

"Tell me exactly what happened" said Antha.

The guy took turns telling the story from the first moment Natalie had bolted out of the stateroom until she was found unresponsive by Edgar in her bunk. Antha listened in silence nodding occasionally. When the story was over she stood slowly and walked into the back bedroom. The guys waited a moment to see if she'd return but when it became clear she wasn't coming out they went home. Edgar slowly cleaned up the kitchen taking his time throwing out the trash and picking up the kid's toys. Finally he took a deep breath and went into his bedroom.

Antha had the phone cradled between her cheek and shoulder. She was scribbling furiously on a pad of paper. Edgar couldn't tell what was being written, it just looked like a bunch of numbers to him. He'd slept next to Antha last night but felt like he was on a different continent. This morning he hesitated before entering the kitchen. Both the kids were sitting at the table eating their breakfasts. Taking a breath he entered the kitchen, Antha's eyes looked up and she smiled the same warm smile he'd received every morning since he'd gotten home. Relieved he walked to the fridge and started pulling out stuff to make breakfast.

"Great, just send the rough cuts" said Antha. "I'll show him. Thanks again. Bye."

Antha hung up the phone and made a few more notes before setting the notebook aside.

"Who was that?" asked Edgar.

"Jason" said Antha. "He's sending me the tapes."

"We told you the truth" said Edgar.

"I know you did, but I want to see the tapes" said Antha.

"I never even touched her" said Edgar.

"I know" said Antha.

"I'd never risk this" said Edgar waving his hand around the kitchen. "For anything or anyone."

"I know, me neither" said Antha.

Edgar pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her sealing his mouth to hers. Antha wrapped her legs around Edgar's waist and he was about to take her against the kitchen wall when a little gasp caught their attention. Edgar looked over Antha's shoulder and saw his son with a bagel frozen half way to his mouth.

"Whoops" said Edgar setting Antha down gently.

"Don't worry, they nap after breakfast" she whispered into his ear.

The tapes arrived the following afternoon and Antha poured over them with a critical eye. She saw the beginning of the trip, when Natalie was still trying to figure out everyone's ailments. Then the accident with Chris and the way Natalie stood over him for hours as they rushed back to Dutch. She watched Jason's tapes of Bishop's arrival and the crews reaction. She watched the captain's camera of Edgar's strip tease. She flipped through the different times that Jason had given her and watched hours and hours of footage. Edgar popped in and out of the room to bring in food or coffee. Antha thanked him each time and he watched over her shoulder until one of the kids needed him. She saw Natalie working on deck through the boat's fixed cameras and Jason's, she was impressed by her work ethic. She watched crew meals and interviews, she watched the treatments Natalie had given to the guys. Bishop was absent from most of the tapes. When Antha reached the tape of the incident she watched it in real speed first then rewound and watched it again in slow motion. The look on Bishop's face was pure hatred as she passed the captain's cam. She switched to Jason's tape of the deck struggle. It cut in when Natalie was already almost to the stern, Antha watched her struggle to get the bag over the side and saw Bishop push her. They both fell to the deck and for a moment the footage went blurry. When it came back into focus she saw Bishop on top of Natalie and Matt approaching the duo. She saw Matt get clocked in the jaw and Natalie pull the knife out and stab Bishop. She paused the tape and used her software to zoom in on Natalie's face. The picture showed Natalie's face twisted in a combination of fear and regret as she stabbed. Antha watched the rest of the tapes in a stunned silence. She saw the bruising on Natalie's neck and was surprised at how sick she looked when Jason taped it. She watched the last of the interviews on deck, each of the guys reacting to what had transpired. Then she saw Edgar carrying Natalie out to the ambulance, she looked like a rag doll in his arms. The final scene was the ambulance driving away with Natalie all alone in the back. The screen faded to black and Antha stretched her back and looked at the clock. She'd been viewing non stop for almost 2 days straight. She emailed Jason her editing notes as promised and then started to cut together a few bits of film to show the guys.

Edgar had called everyone and told them to come over as soon as possible. Antha attached her computer to the flat screen TV and waited. She hadn't spoken more than a few words to Edgar in the past few days, he'd looked at some of the tapes as she edited them but they hadn't talked. She was so completely focused on what she was doing it was like she wasn't even there. A knock at the door startled Antha from her perch on the arm chair. She rushed to the door and said a quick hello to Matt before slipping back to her spot. One by one the rest of the guys arrived. Once everyone was seated Antha cleared her throat.

"I cut together some of the footage that Discovery is going to use for the show" said Antha. "They may air something a little different, they may choose to use different story lines but I doubt it."

With no further introduction she started the dvd. The guys watched with slowly dawning looks of horror. The men of the Northwestern were shown exactly what Natalie had done for them. Antha had cut together all of Natalie's advice for keeping them healthy, all their treatments. The most humorous was her doing the acupuncture of Matt's hands while the boat pitched and rolled. The most compelling was when she was crouched next to Chris trying to save his life on the dirty floor of the boat's hallway. The next set of clips were of Natalie on deck baiting the pots and getting teased. Then suddenly the dvd cut to the fateful day. It showed the spliced together captain's cam footage and then Jason's deck footage. It showed in gruesome detail exactly what Bishop had attempted to do and Natalie's desperate act of survival.

"Oh my God" whispered Jake.

But it wasn't over, the next scene was the up close view of Natalie's injuries. It was clear that she was already severely dehydrated and when she tilted her neck up Bishop's fingers were clearly visible in a ring around Natalie's neck.

"That's enough" said Sig, his voice choked with tears.

"Almost" said Antha.

The final scene was Edgar carrying Natalie to the ambulance and it pulling away from the boat.

"Is that it?" asked Nick.

"Yes" said Edgar.

"Did you see this already?" asked Sig.

"Just bits and pieces of it" said Edgar.

"You look like dogs" said Antha. "You didn't even go with her to the hospital. You never once brought her food or water. She took care of you, all of you, multiple times and you never once returned the favor."

The guys said nothing, their eyes were glued to the carpet.

"Say something" said Antha. "Defend what you did, explain why you did it."

"You know how it is out there" began Norman.

"There is nothing to say" said Sig cutting off his brother. "You're right, everything you said is true, we have no excuses."

"I don't think this is forgivable" said Antha sadly. "I don't see how she could forgive any of you. I wouldn't."

"I have to go" said Sig.

Without waiting for a reply he left, quietly closing the door behind him. The rest of the guys expressed their complete regret of how they handled themselves and the situation.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, keep them coming. Also there is an additional note at the end of the story.

Natalie followed her mother into the palatial lobby, their bags had already been taken and she was just holding her purse. She was already sweating in her woolly sweater despite the air conditioning. Natalie's mom was speaking to a staff member and then turned to face Natalie. Everyone on staff was expecting their arrival and a woman dressed in a smart suit handed Natalie a glass of cool water.

"Thank you" said Natalie gratefully.

She finished it in a few large gulps before setting it back on the waiting tray.

"Go get some rest, Regina will help you" her mother said.

"Regina is here?" said Natalie surprise lacing her voice.

"Of course, I called her to come when you said you'd be visiting" replied her mother simply.

"That was yesterday, you got her over here in a day?" said Natalie.

"It's nothing darling, I wanted you to be comfortable and well cared for" said her mother with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Regina appeared in the doorway. She was dressed just as Natalie remembered, her starched white shirt beneath a gray uniform. Her tiny nurses watch was pinned over her breast as it was when Natalie was a child.

"My word child, you've grown" said Regina quietly.

Natalie ran towards her rushing into Regina's open arms. The moment she was wrapped in her comforting embrace Natalie felt home.

"You look absolutely exhausted" said Regina. "Lets get you to bed."

Natalie allowed herself to be led to a bank of elevators.

"Just a moment Regina" said Mrs. Moore.

"Yes ma'am" replied Regina.

"Make sure Natalie eats something, she didn't eat a bite on the plane" said her mom.

"Of course" said Regina.

"And Natalie" said her mom. "Dinner will be at 6 sharp and we dress for dinner. Your sister and brother will be anxious to see you."

"Yes mother" replied Natalie obediently.

"Don't worry miss, we'll get you right as rain before then" replied Regina quietly.

"I know you will, you always do" said Natalie sleepily.

A few hours later the sound of running water woke Natalie from a half sleep. Her first thought was that she was back on the boat, that idea alone made her start to shake in her sleep. The nauseous feelings she had in the last few days on the boat was back in full force. Suddenly there was a cool washcloth pressed to her forehead and a gentle arm pulling her into a sitting position.

"It's alright Natalie, it's alright, nanny's here" said Regina's soothing voice.

Natalie tried to nod.

"Have a sip of water and then slowly open your eyes" said Regina.

Natalie did as she was told and once here eyes focused on the room the anxiety slowly subsided.

"I'm running you a bath" said Regina.

With a final pat on Natalie's back Regina walked into the bathroom and the sound of running water finally stopped. Natalie laid back on the puffy pillows and stared blankly at the ceiling. It was painted like a blue sky filled with fluffy clouds. This room was always hers when her family came here to visit. She was never sure why. She assumed it was because it was whimsical which is how her mother saw her personality. The Queen Anne style furnishings made the room look very British, which is just what her mom wanted. A little slice of home in a tropical setting.

"Ok Natalie, lets get you into the bath" said Regina.

Natalie walked slowly into the bathroom and saw a huge tub full of fragrant flowers. Regina moved behind Natalie and began slowly unbuttoning her nightgown.

Natalie slid into the bathtub and allowed herself to dip beneath the water. Once she resurfaced Regina was waiting with a large loofa. She gently scrubbed Natalie's back before handing her the sponge and starting on her hair. The luxurious bath went on for almost an hour and once Natalie was as clean as humanly possible she got out of the tub and was wrapped lovingly in a fluffy bath towel.

"Sit down at the vanity and I'll brush your hair" said Regina.

"No one has brushed my hair forever" said Natalie with a smile.

"What happened to you Natalie?" asked Regina. "You're covered with bruises and scars. I can see most of your ribs."

Natalie hesitated for a moment but the calming pull of the hairbrush caused the words to tumble out of her mouth. Once the story was over Natalie's eyes were glued to the vanity's marble top.

"You did a wonderful thing for those men" said Regina. "But then again you always do what's right even when it's not easy."

"I guess" said Natalie.

"No darling" said Regina grabbing Natalie's chin and tilting it upwards. "Don't ever feel bad about what you did."

Natalie sighed and smiled sadly.

"I took the liberty of unpacking your bag and picking out a dinner dress" said Regina. "You made some very interesting clothing choices."

"Mum packed my bags" explained Natalie.

"That explains it" said Regina more to herself than Natalie.

"Is there anything in there that I would wear?" asked Natalie.

"You'll look beautiful in everything, but it certainly isn't your style" said Regina with a smile. "Or maybe it is, I haven't seen you in years."

"I'm sorry I haven't visited" said Natalie.

"Don't apologize, you have your own life" said Regina. "You've grown up."

Natalie smiled happily and Regina smiled back through the mirror.

"I suppose I should get dressed, no reason to avoid the inevitable" said Natalie with a sigh.

Regina dressed Natalie with great care, paying special attention to make her as beautiful as possible.

The dinning room was set up for a huge banquet not an intimate family dinner. The room itself was gigantic but there was one table pushed close to the large windows, set for four with beautiful china and crystal. Standing out on the veranda were Natalie's brother and sister. They were huddled together holding flutes of champagne in their hands.

"Where is she?" asked James.

"I don't know? Getting dressed" answered Nicole.

"What's taking her so long" complained James.

"Well she's probably out of practice" said Nicole with a snort. "I can't imagine she has many formal dinners in the states."

"I can't believe she's here" said James. "It's been years since she's come on holiday with us."

"She was in hospital for a few days" said Nicole. "I'm sure she was under sedation when mum asked her because she never would have agreed otherwise."

"Mum says she's fine" said James.

"I wonder what happened" said Nicole.

"I don't know. How about a top up?" suggested James.

"Excellent" said Nicole in response.

With drinks refilled the pair sat quietly in a few chairs overlooking the volcano in the distance. The crack of thunder preceded the ominous click of heels across the floor, both Nicole and James sighed deeply. They turned as their mother had moved onto the balcony in a cloud of perfume.

"Good evening mother" they chorused.

"It's lovely to see you children" said their mother. "James I thought we agreed on a suit and tie for dinner."

"Yes mother" replied James pulling a crumpled tie from his pocket. "But I feel compelled to remind you that this is Costa Rica and people on holiday rarely wear anything more than a swimming suit.

"Really, you must have a better tie than that" rebuked his mother, completely ignoring his second comment.

"Not on me" replied James.

The doors opened summoning everyone's attention away from James. Natalie walked through the door looking uncomfortable and unsure. She walked across the room and embraced her mother first and then her brother. Then walking closer she pulled her sister into a fierce embrace.

"I've missed you" they said in unison.

"Don't start that already" complained James.

"Children don't start fighting" said their mother.

James handed Natalie a glass of champagne, which she accepted gratefully.

"To three against one" said James as he clinked his glass against Natalie's.

"Here Here" she replied.

"Enough, lets have dinner" said her mother in disgust.

The sun hung low in the sky as Natalie walked along the beach letting the surf lap at the bottom of her dress, soaking the fabric. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts. Dinner had reassured her that moving to Seattle had been the best decision of her life. The whole time her brother and sister had bickered with their mother, bringing up every single issue from the time they could remember to the present. Finally their mother retired to bed and the room quieted. Natalie had taken the moment to go for a walk. She imagined there would be more talking when she got back to the hotel but for now she would pretend that she was just on vacation, by herself. Sitting down on the sand she pulled her knees up to her chest and smiled. This was the way she liked the ocean, calm, soft, lapping and warm. She watched a pleasure cruise in the distance it's lights flickering across the water. Her mind drifted to the men Northwestern, she wondered what they were doing. The guys deserved a nice vacation. She wondered if her mother would mind if she flew them down. Natalie chuckled to herself imagining asking her mother to invite a bunch of uncouth men to crash their perfect family holiday. With that thought she turned back towards the direction she'd come. She only made it a few feet before her sister all but tackled her.

"Natty, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" asked Nicole.

"Taking a walk" replied Natalie.

"Come back, we miss you" said Nicole tugging her arm.

"I was on my way already" said Natalie.

Nicole slipped her hand into Natalie's and they walked slowly back towards the hotel.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Nicole quietly.

"Of course, but you probably already know the answer" said Natalie.

"I don't know" said Nicole. "I feel I haven't known you for the last three years."

"I'm sorry Nicky" said Natalie remorsefully. "You could have come to visit."

"I'm always on tour" said Nicole.

"I know, we're always busy" said Natalie with a sad smile.

"It wasn't so hard when you lived closer" said Nicole.

"You could always move to Seattle" said Natalie.

"Oh please, what sort of arts do they have there?" asked Nicole.

"They have a lot, civic opera house a symphony" said Natalie defensively.

"But nothing compared to London or New York" said Nicole smartly.

"Agreed" said Natalie.

"You could still come visit" said Nicole.

"I'll try harder in the future" said Natalie.

"You won't, I can tell by the look on your face" said Nicole.

"It was the same look on your face when I suggested you come to stay with me" retorted Natalie.

The girls had reached the hotel and saw their brother pacing on the deck. He saw them and smiled broadly and waved.

"Thing one and thing two, I've got drinks all ready for you" said James.

The trio drank well into the night catching each other up on the past few years of their lives. When they finally retired for the night they were all completely sloshed.

The crack of the light through the windows was enough to wake Natalie from her stupor. She tried to roll over and was blocked by a body. Cracking her eye open she saw a swath of brown hair. Groaning she rolled the other way and was barely able to stop herself from falling off the bed. The door opened silently and the sound of soft steps crossed the room.

"Oh my, you two are ridiculous" said Regina's soft voice.

"Good morning" said Natalie horsely.

"I've brought you some tea, I suggest you sit up slowly" said Regina's voice.

"You didn't bring any for Nicky" said Natalie.

"Why would I? She has her own room" said Regina with a scoff. "Besides she won't be up for hours."

"Really?" said Natalie in surprise.

"Natalie it's barely seven" explained Regina. "I've never known Nicole to wake before the day was in double digits."

Natalie smiled and slipped out of bed. Regina handed her the tea and led her out onto the small patio.

"Sit and relax, I can order you breakfast" said Regina.

"Don't we have formal breakfast?" asked Natalie wearily.

"No, I believe that breakfast and luncheon are on your own" said Regina.

"In that case I'd like some toast" said Natalie.

"You'll need more than that" said Regina. "You've lost at least a stone."

"Fine, order what ever you want. I put myself completely in your hands" said Natalie happily.

"That's the most thoughtful thing you've said all day" said Regina.

"To be fair, it's only seven" said Natalie.

"What are your plans for the day?" asked Regina.

"I think I want to go into town" said Natalie.

"Get your hair done, it looks dreadful" came a voice from the bed.

"Nicky, I can't believe you're awake" said Natalie with a smirk.

"It's the bloody sunbeam, once you got up it was right in my eye" grumbled Nicole.

"So sorry sissy" said Natalie.

"No you aren't" said Nicole. "But I was being honest when I said you need to get your hair done, it looks terrible."

"So what, it's not as if I have anyone to impress" said Natalie.

"Natty, you could impress anyone you wanted if you actually made an effort" said Nicole.

"Fine, I'll go get my hair done" surrendered Natalie.

"Good" said Nicole. "Now that I've been of some use, I'm going back to bed."

"Nighty noon" said Natalie.

Nicole excused herself and slumped back into the bed.

"I think I'll go now" said Natalie quietly once Nicole had started snoring.

"I doubt if any place is open" said Regina.

"It's fine, I'll enjoy walking around" said Natalie.

"I'll ring for the car" said Regina.

"No, I think I'll just walk" said Natalie.

"Your mother would kill me if I let you walk all the way into town" said Regina. "At least take the car down the hill and then let the driver off for the day."

"Good idea" said Natalie.

"By the way dear, if it's any consolation, I think your hair is lovely" said Regina with a smile. "Don't cut it too short."

"Thanks" said Natalie giving her a quick squeeze.

The walk into town was brisk and Natalie enjoyed looking at the beautiful scenery as she meandered the bustling streets. She bought a few gifts for Edgar and Antha's kids before finally making her way to the salon. It took almost three hours before she paid her bill and left with a wonderful new spring in her step. Sitting down in a street side cafe she ordered lunch and sat back to enjoy the view. She had just received her drink when a shadow appeared on her table. Looking up she smiled.

"Your hair looks great" said James.

"Thanks" said Natalie. "Won't you join me for lunch."

"Are you paying?" asked James.

"If need be" said Natalie.

"Well you know how mummy is, clutching the purse strings with a colossal grip."

"You could always get a job" suggested Natalie.

"Please, I'm not suited for work" said James. "Too good looking."

"You're impossible" said Natalie.

"Why did you agree to come this year?" asked James suddenly.

"Because I needed some warm weather" said Natalie.

"Why were you in Alaska?" asked James.

"I only want to explain it once" said Natalie.

"Fine, at dinner tonight then" suggested James.

"Depends, is dad coming this week?" asked Natalie.

"Possibly, you'll have to ask mum" said James.

"I suppose I can ask her tonight at the next formal dinner" said Natalie.

"That reminds me, I should probably buy a tie while we're out" said James.

"I fear all you'll find is one with beer bottle or palm trees" said Natalie.

"I'll definitely get the beer bottle tie, it will send mum into spasms" said James.

"Why do you bait her so much" chided Natalie.

"Oh please, she's bossing us constantly" said James.

"She wouldn't if you moved out" said Natalie.

"And leave the comforts of home? Never" said James.

The pair ate a delicious lunch, chatting about old times and new interests. Natalie kept closed mouthed about her time in Alaska but happily discussed her life in Seattle. James shared his new interest in studying Caribbean art. Which Natalie saw through as an excuse to go on pricey vacations. A few hours later they walked back to the hotel holding a few packages, more for James than Natalie.

The moment they got into the lobby they spied their mother sitting in one of the lobby chairs chatting with a man. Natalie recognized the man immediately and dropped her bags before rushing to the pair. The scuffle of her shoes caused her mother to look up, immediately casting a displeased glance at her obviously inappropriate response.

"Daddy" she called happily.

"Oh Natalie, it's lovely to see you" said her father.

Natalie embraced her father and they stayed clutched together for a moment before stepping back to examine each other.

"You're looking well daddy" gushed Natalie.

"You are looking happy my darling" said her father.

"You wouldn't have said that a few days ago when I found her half dead in an Alaska hospital" said her mother.

"Oh Talie, what have you gotten yourself into" said her father.

"Nothing daddy, I assure you I'm right as rain" said Natalie.

"I expect to hear the story, in its entirety, tonight" said her father sternly.

"Of course" said Natalie.

"Do you still like gimlets?" asked her father.

"Not as much as I like dirty martinis" said Natalie.

"Oh my you have grown up" said her father. "And James, still scotch and water or is Caribbean rum more your style these days?"

"No, scotch is perfectly suitable" replied James.

"Now where is Nicole?" asked their father.

"She should be down soon, I've asked her room to be rung" said their mother.

"I'll get her" volunteered James.

"I'm going to see about dinner, I want everything to be well and perfect" said Mrs Moore.

"Fine darling, I'll catch you up" said Mr. Moore.

Once the interlopers had left Natalie and her father moved their chairs closer together.

"Well my dear, I hope you really are as well as your letters insist" said her father.

"I'm doing wonderfully" said Natalie. "How is business?"

"We're working on building a hotel in Dubai" said her father. "That's why I wasn't here earlier."

"Really? I bet it will be the talk of the town" said Natalie encouragingly.

"Well it will at least be the priciest" said her father.

"Will we still cook?" asked Natalie suddenly.

"Of course" said her father. "Have you thought about what you'd like to make? Have you had anything truly interesting lately."

"I had a delicious fish head soup" said Natalie.

"Really, sounds interesting. Can we make it here?" asked her father.

"I'm sure it's possible" said Natalie.

"Well we can put our heads together and complete our tradition as always" said her father. "Now how about a drink."

"Sounds wonderful" said Natalie.

The two sipped their drinks in silence looking out at the beautiful landscape.

**This was a hard chapter to write because I'm creating English characters however I'm not British. I've been to the UK a few times but not enough to completely understand the culture and I admit I base my writings on English movies I've seen and internet searches for language. If any of my UK readers would like to chime in with phrases that would be appropriate I would definitely try to use them. I hope no one is too critical, I'm just trying my best.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I'd like to announce the return of Sig and I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a long one to make up for my delay in posting. Please leave a review if you are so inclined.

Sig cursed again as he tried to readjust himself in the tiny coach seat. He'd finally managed to find a flight to Costa Rica, it had cost him a ridiculous amount of money and unfortunately the only seats they had available was not in first class. He'd stalked the travel agency day and night until he finally had a ticket in his hand. He'd called Edgar to tell him he was going and that if he needed to be reached to call his cell but not expect an answer. He'd had another brief conversation with Antha about how he should approach Natalie. She'd been absolutely no help. He could here her voice ringing in his ears.

"Sig, if you want to impress her you need to figure out what makes her tick" Antha had said.

The flight attendant startled Sig from his revery as she stopped next to Sig's seat. She leaned over folding down the small tray table before setting down a drink.

"What's this for?" asked Sig.

"A drink from the guy a few rows back, he said he loves your show" said the flight attendant.

"Please tell him thanks" said Sig.

"Of course sir."

Sig settled back into his seat slowly sipping his drink. According to the flight tracker he still had four more hours of flying in this tin can. His focus was single minded, all he wanted to do was get to Natalie. He had an address and her cell phone number, but he'd been hesitant to call to warn her of his arrival. She was probably still mad at him but he hoped she'd be willing to speak to him or his trip would be a complete waste of time. He settled down in the seat slumping down as far as he could and closing his eyes. His dreams were full of visions of Natalie.

The plane touched down hours later and a very disheveled Sig walked down the stairs and onto the tarmac. The heat was blistering as it radiated off the ground and Sig worried the soles of his shoes were melting to the ground. Grabbing his bag off the carousel he headed to a line of taxis. Sliding into the cab he handed the address over to the driver.

"No problem" said the driver. "I know the place."

"I'd like to get a gift before we get there" said Sig.

"What kind of gift?" asked the driver.

"A gift that says I'm a complete ass and am begging for forgiveness" mumbled Sig.

"Oh Senor, are you here to rescue your wife or something?" said the Taxi driver.

"No, she's not my wife" said Sig.

"Girlfriend?" asked the driver.

"No" said Sig.

"How about some flowers" said the driver. "Or we have a few good local wines."

"Fine, lets get the wine" said Sig.

The taxi driver nodded and then kicked the car into drive and headed out of the airport.

Less than an hour later the car stopped. Sig got out of the car and handed he driver a hundred dollar bill. He hadn't changed his money and hoped that it was more than enough to pay for the wine and the cab ride. The driver thanked him profusely before speeding down the drive. Sig glanced up at the hotels pinkish facade, the place was smaller than he imagined. It almost looked like a mansion, but Zephyr hotel was clearly written on the side of the building and Sig was fairly sure he was in the right place. Carrying his duffle bag he was met by a smart dressed man at the door of the hotel.

"Hello sir, I'm sorry the hotel is closed" he said.

"Closed? Are you sure?" said Sig.

"Yes sir, every year we close for two weeks for the family" said the man.

"What the hell" said Sig in disgust.

"I can help you find another hotel" said the man.

"I'd like to go to the same hotel you sent Natalie Moore" said Sig.

The man stopped short and then turned towards Sig his face full of confusion.

"You are meeting Miss Natalie Moore?" asked the man.

"Yes, well I'm trying to surprise her" said Sig.

"So she's not expecting you?" asked the man.

"No" said Sig his confusion quickly turning to annoyance. "Do you know where she is?"

"She's here" said the man suddenly.

"How come she gets to stay and I can't?" asked Sig in annoyance.

"Sir she's a member of the family" said the man.

Sig opened his mouth to respond but he had nothing to say, the whole situation was completely unexpected.

"If you could give me a moment sir" said the man.

"Sure" said Sig.

The man returned a few minutes later and told Sig he was invited to stay at the pleasure of the family. A bellman took Sig's bag and led him to the bank of elevators. The pair emerged on the upper floor and he was led to the door of a suite. Sig smirked at the idea of a doorbell for a hotel room. The door was opened and the bellman led him inside. Sig's mouth dropped open in awe at the sheer size of the room.

"Sir, the bedroom is through here" said the bellman.

"Yeah, great" said Sig. "I got it from here, thank you."

"Of course sir" said the bellman. "Would you like me to bring up an icer for your wine?"

"No, it's a gift" said Sig.

"Yes sir" said bellman. "Please enjoy your stay."

Once the bellman left the room Sig walked around slowly examining the rooms. The sheer exquisiteness of the surroundings were amazing. He laid back on the bed luxuriating in the softness of the sheets. He stared at the painting of a single ship passing through a storm on the wall until his eyes closed. He slept for a moment and then shook off the sleepy sensation and got back up. He laid out a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt before heading into the bathroom. He'd just stripped out of his clothes when the phone rang. He turned to go out into the main room when he noticed a phone next to the sink.

"That's convenient" he said to himself before picking up the receiver.

"Sir, I wanted to tell you that you'll be able to find Miss Moore down by the pool" said the voice on the other end.

"Thanks" said Sig.

Placing the phone back in the cradle he stepped into the shower and rinsed off three thousand miles of travel.

Sig walked casually through the lobby towards the pool. As he walked through towards the back of the hotel, his pace slowed as he took in the huge atrium. The whole place was far too fancy for the likes of Sig, he immediately felt out of his element.

"Can I get you something sir?" asked a member of the staff.

"No, I'm just heading out to the pool" said Sig.

"Of course, right through there" said the woman.

"Thanks" said Sig.

Stepping outside he shaded his eyes as he was accosted by the bright Costa Rican sunshine a cool breeze was just enough to keep the heat from being oppressive. The pool was a beautiful infinity pool shaded on one side by a copse of trees and open to direct sun on the other. The pool was completely empty as were all of the chaise lounges scattered around the deck. Sig huffed in silent annoyance when he realized there was no one there. He was about to turn around when he noticed a row of cabanas on the far side of the deck.

Natalie lay in the shade of cabana when a familiar scent accosted her nostrils. For a moment she felt transported back to the boat. She closed her eyes breathing in the scent until the wind shifted and it disappeared.

Walking briskly Sig was just a few feet away from the first cabana when he heard a distinct moaning sound. Moving closer he peered through the small crack in the curtains and immediately his stomach dropped. Astride what looked to be the pool boy was Natalie's face cringed in ecstasy moaning excitedly calling out with each thrust.

"Come on now, harder" she called.

"Oh Miss, I love when you come to visit" said the boy.

Sig stepped back, his heart burning in his chest. His first instinct was the leave, but then rage flooded his body. He wanted to make her pay. Taking a step forward he had his hand on the curtain when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Sig. What are you doing here?"

He turned to see the owner of the voice and felt his heart stop.

"What the, I don't" began Sig before his voice completely failed him.

Black spots flooded his vision and he started to crumple to the floor.

"Oh for fuck's sake" said a disgusted Natalie hauling him towards the nearest lounge chair.

He made a few indistinguishable noises before closing his eyes. Natalie stroked his face in a comforting caress before giving him a stinging slap. The shock caused his eyes to flutter open and he saw two identical faces for a moment before his eyes focused on the single face glaring down at him.

"Natalie?" said Sig weakly.

"Yes" said Natalie.

"I don't understand" said Sig.

"We're twins" said Nicole.

"Oh shit" said Sig closing his eyes again.

Natalie sighed and ordered a class of water for Sig and a large margarita for herself.

Sig slept almost an hour before he started to stir. He opened his eyes and found himself under the shade of a striped cabana. His head turned and his eyes fixated on the bikini clad body laying just outside the shade. Natalie was laying face up her eyes shaded by a huge hat.

"Natalie?" called Sig.

"Have some water" said Natalie without even opening her eyes. He took a sip of water and looked around at the well appointed cabana. His eyes fell on a fully stocked bar. He tried to get up quietly and make his way to pour himself a drink. He hadn't even taken two steps away from the lounge chair when Natalie started to speak.

"Sig, seriously?" she said. "You either need to finish that glass of water and then drink another one or go change into something cooler. You are not dressed or hydrated for this weather."

"Fine" sulked Sig.

He moved out to where Natalie was laying. When he got close enough he noticed she was wearing huge sunglasses and the smallest bikini he'd ever seen. The tiny triangle top was barely covering her nipples and the bottoms sat below the top of her pubic bone. His mouth watered as he looked at her body, he studied each and every curve of her figure. He noticed the scar on her side and the smile fell off his face.

"Why are you staring at me?" asked Natalie.

"You're kidding right?" said Sig.

"No, it's a valid question" said Natalie. "You are standing over me, staring at me and blocking my sun."

"You're in the shade" said Sig.

"Fine, but you still need to tell me why you are looking at me like that" said Natalie.

She sat up and took off her sunglasses to look at Sig in the eye. He smiled at her familiar face, her bright eyes and her mouth hinting at a smile.

"You're beautiful" said Sig.

Natalie rolled her eyes at the compliment, replaced the sunglasses and laid back down. Sig sighed heavily and got his glass of water. He moved back to sit in the chair next to Natalie.

"You should change" said Natalie.

"Why? Anxious to see me in a swimsuit?" said Sig.

"No. But you're going to get heat stroke out here if you stay in jeans" said Natalie.

"So you have a twin?" asked Sig.

"Yes" said Natalie.

"That's kind of a surprise" said Sig.

"I guess" said Natalie.

"What's her story?" asked Sig.

"We were born ten minutes apart, she's older, we're identical and we rarely see each other because she lives in England and I don't" said Natalie. "Speak of the devil."

Nicole strutted across the pool in a bathing suit that looked similar to Natalie's. Sig thought they looked similar but there were definitely differences. The first difference was their hair, but there was also something in their eyes. Nicole looked predatory, it was a look he'd seen in Bishop's eyes a lot.

"Sig, this is my sister Nicole" said Natalie. "Nicole this is Sig."

"Hello" said Nicole. "I'd say I've heard so much about you, but Natalie didn't even tell me she was bringing a guest."

"To be fair, she didn't know I was coming" said Sig.

"Oh" said Nicole, her eyes widening in surprise. "There must be a story to tell. Maybe over dinner tonight."

"Down girl" muttered Natalie.

"Actually I was hoping to take Natalie to dinner tonight" said Sig.

"She can't" said Nicole. "The family always dines together."

"I'd love to" said Natalie.

"Natty, mummy is going to kill you" said Nicole.

"I'll take my chances" said Natalie dismissively.

"We can do it another time" said Sig.

"No, tonight is fine" said Natalie.

"So Sig" said Nicole. "Have you seen the rest of the hotel?"

"No" said Sig hesitantly.

"Let me show you" said Nicole.

She linked her arm through Sig's and all but dragged him off in the direction of the building. Sig looked back at Natalie in desperation but she'd already turned her face away.

Sig obediently followed Nicole through the hotel and listened somewhat distractedly as she explained the design and features. He glanced over his shoulder a few times wondering when Natalie would come to save him but after a few minutes it became clear that wasn't going to happen. Nicole stopped suddenly and Sig realized they were in front of his room.

"Well" she said.

"Well what?" asked Sig.

"Well, aren't you going to show me your room?" asked Nicole.

"Um, I'm not sure" said Sig.

"Natalie won't mind, we share everything" said Nicole.

He opened the door and held it so Nicole could walk into the room. She flounced in and made herself comfortable on one of the couches. Sig followed her into the room, unsure at what he was suppose to do next. Nicole reached over and picked up the phone.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"Vodka and coke" said Sig automatically.

She placed the order and then hung up the phone before she turned her full attention to Sig, who was still standing by the door.

"Come in, I won't bite...much" said Nicole.

Sig immediately felt ill. This was exactly what happened with Bishop and he was determined not to make the same mistake twice.

"Tell me about Natalie" said Sig.

"She's my twin sister" said Nicole. "I'm a few minutes older, more mature, smarter, prettier, more talented. I could go on."

"What do you do?" asked Sig.

"I'm an opera singer" said Nicole.

"A singer?" said Sig.

"Yes, a rather renowned one if you must know" said Nicole.

"Sorry, it's just" said Sig rubbing the back of his neck. "I've heard Natalie sing."

"As I've said, I'm the talented one" said Nicole smugly. "What do you do?"

"I'm the captain of a boat" said Sig.

"How interesting" said Nicole without conviction. "Why are you here to see Natalie?"

"I need to make amends for something that I did" said Sig.

"Oh, are you going through some sort of twelve step program?" asked Nicole.

"No, but I did something terrible and I want to make it up to her" said Sig.

"What did you do?" asked Nicole, her voice hardening slightly.

"She hasn't told you?" asked Sig in surprise.

"No" said Nicole. "Did you have something to do with her ending up in hospital?"

"Yes, but not on purpose" said Sig defensively.

"She hasn't told us anything" said Nicole.

There was a knock on the door and before Sig could say anything a young man entered the room holding a tray of drinks.

"Since when do you drink vodka?" asked James. "Oh I see you're entertaining."

"Hi Jamie" said Nicole. "Sig, this is my brother James."

"Nice to meet you" said Sig shaking his hand.

"Now Nicky, what's all this?" asked James setting the drinks down.

"I'm just here to help Sig make amends with Natalie" said Nicole innocently.

"Of course, how could it be anything else" said James with a smirk.

James handed Sig his drink and unabashedly studied him for a moment before sitting down next to Nicole.

"So Sig, what sort of thing are you making amends for?" asked James. "It can't be anything too bad because all your limbs are still attached. If Natty was really mad you'd be walking with a limp or something."

Sig was uncomfortable answering the question, he didn't want to tell them something Natalie preferred to keep secret.

"Don't worry mate, you don't have to tell us" said James sensing Sig's apprehension.

"We'll find out from her" said Nicole. "She promised to tell us once dad got here, but she hasn't yet."

"I should really speak to her" said Sig.

"You should change" said Nicole. "I can help you pick something out."

"That's not necessary" said Sig.

"But, I insist" said Nicole.

She rummaged through his bag pulling out multiple pairs of jeans and long sleeve shirts.

"Don't you have anything for hot weather?" asked Nicole.

"Probably not, it was cold when I left Seattle" said Sig.

"James be a dear and let him borrow some of your clothes" said Nicole.

"I'll get something for you" said James.

Sig walked down into the lobby, he hoped Nicole had been right about Natalie waiting there to meet him. He felt strange wearing someone else's clothes but had to admit the chinos were quite comfortable. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and turned to find the nearest place to step outside. He didn't make it far when he saw a vision of loveliness enter his sightline. He knew immediately it was Natalie.

"Wow, you look amazing" he said striding towards her.

"Thank you, or rather you should thank my mother. She picked out all my clothes for this trip" said Natalie.

Sig circled Natalie looking at the dress from all angles. It had a deep v cut into the front showing Natalie's cleavage and the same in the back showing a large swath of perfectly tanned skin.

"Where are we going?" asked Sig.

"I don't know, I thought you were taking me to dinner" said Natalie.

"I've never been here" said Sig. "How am I suppose to know of a good place to eat?"

"Fine, lets just walk" said Natalie. "We'll find something."

Natalie turned and walked away from the hotel entrance. It took a Sig a few strides to catch up to her.

"Where are you going?" he asked in frustration.

"To the beach, we'll walk that way" said Natalie.

"How romantic" said Sig.

"Don't get any ideas" said Natalie.

Sig and Natalie strolled through the sand, they'd abandoned their shoes somewhere in the early part of their walk. Sig's pants were rolled up to his calves and Natalie had her dress draped over her arm to prevent it from getting splashed by the waves. They hadn't said more than a few words, both were lost in the beauty of the scenery. Approaching a small clutch of food stalls the scent of roasting seafood called to them.

"How about here?" suggested Natalie.

"It smells amazing" said Sig.

They sat down at a small plastic table there feet still pressed into the sand. A waitress came over and rattled off the menu in spanish. Natalie asked what the specialty of the house were and said they would have those. She also ordered a beer for both of them.

"I didn't know you spoke spanish" said Sig.

"There is a lot you don't know about me" said Natalie.

"I'm realizing that more and more" said Sig.

"Why are you here?" asked Natalie.

"I came to give you your check" said Sig.

"What check?" asked Natalie. "You paid me before the season started."

"I know but the crew decided to give you a cut from our shares" said Sig.

"Why?" asked Natalie.

"Because you did so much more than what we'd hired you for" said Sig. "You cooked, cleaned, worked on deck, hell you did more than most greenhorns do in two seasons."

"You flew all the way here to give me a check?" said Natalie incredulously. "Well where is it?"

"It's at your house" said Sig.

"Don't call that hotel my house" said Natalie. "It's not."

"No, it's at your house in Seattle" said Sig.

"So, let me get this straight" said Natalie. "You flew three thousand miles to Costa Rica to tell me about a check that you left at my house in Seattle."

"Yeah" said Sig.

"Well thanks for letting me know. It's a very nice gesture but completely unnecessary" said Natalie. "I guess your quest is over and you can leave."

"It's not the only reason I came down here" said SIg.

"No shit" said Natalie.

"Can I just start over" said Sig.

"No" said Natalie.

Sig took a long pull from his beer and was saved from further conversation by the arrival of the food. Grilled fish, plantains, rice and beans were piled on a platter. The waitress set down a small pot of hot sauce and two more beers. Natalie thanked her and she left. Without waiting for Sig Natalie dug into the food. They both spent a few minutes in a bit of a feeding frenzy, reminiscent of every meal they'd eaten on the Northwestern.

"Wow, it's like we haven't eaten in a week" said Natalie wiping hot sauce off her chin.

"Old habits die hard" said Sig.

"So why are you really here?" asked Natalie.

"I want to beg for your forgiveness" said Sig with a sigh. "I want to tell you in person that I was a complete and total ass. I shouldn't have trusted Bishop and you tried to warn me, and when you realized she was going to embarrass the boat you took matters into your own hands to save us. And instead of praising you I basically ignored you until you were close to death. You were right, I suck at life."

Natalie's eyes softened slightly as Sig finished his speech.

"I appreciate your apology" she said.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" asked Sig hopefully.

"Not by a long shot" said Natalie.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Sorry for the long stretch between chapters. One of my twins started to walk so my writing has suffered. In the future I'm going to try shorter chapters and post more often. Thank you for all the reviews and your patience for this update.

Natalie woke up and went from a run. It was still early when she returned and she had banked on having a little alone time sitting outside with her coffee enjoying the view. She had just sat down when Sig appeared next to her. She looked up and found him holding a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning" said Sig. "I thought you'd like a glass of juice."

"Thanks" said Natalie. "Have a seat."

Sig sat next to her and immediately a waitress appeared with a carafe of coffee and a cup for him. Before he could even respond she was gone.

"Wow, the service here is amazing" said Sig.

"Yep" said Natalie.

"Do you come here every year?" asked Sig.

"No" said Natalie.

"Why not?" asked Sig.

"Because I find certain members of my family annoying" said Natalie.

"Oh" said Sig. "They seem nice."

"Well they always seem that way to outsiders" said Natalie.

Natalie sipped at the juice and then looked at Sig suspiciously.

"Is there vodka in this orange juice?" she asked.

"Yes" said Sig. "Your sister suggested it."

"You're taking suggestions from my sister?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" said Sig. "Should I not? She's very anxious to help."

"I bet she is" said Natalie.

"You don't trust her do you?" asked Sig.

"Honestly, I don't even know what she's like these days" said Natalie. "I haven't seen her in a few years."

"She says she's a singer" said Sig.

"Yep. She's a very successful opera singer. Very well known in Europe and really by anyone who listens to modern operas" said Natalie.

"I was kind of surprised" said Sig.

"Because I'm basically tone deaf?" prompted Natalie.

"Kind of" said Sig, his cheeks blushing.

"I'm sure she told you that she got all the talent" said Natalie.

Sig looked at her, studying her face for malice or annoyance but there was nothing, just grim acceptance.

"Just because you can't sing doesn't make you less talented than her" said Sig suddenly.

"Thanks, but I've gotten past the comparisons" said Natalie.

She took a sip of the vodka and orange juice and then handed it back to Sig.

"You don't want it?" he asked his voice hurt.

"Not really" said Natalie. "I can't drink this early."

"Did you use to?" asked Sig.

"No" said Natalie.

"Well then your sister is seriously unhelpful" said Sig.

Natalie just shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee.

"Just to let you know it's dinner with the family tonight" said Natalie. "My dad and I are cooking. You are welcome to join us."

She got up to leave and Sig turned and stopped her.

"Why haven't you told them what happened" said Sig.

"Because I didn't think they needed to know" said Natalie.

"Are you going to tell them?" asked Sig.

"I suppose I'll have to, they have a right to know" said Natalie. "They're curious."

"I'd like to tell them" said Sig.

"Why?" asked Natalie.

"Because I want to" said Sig.

"Fine" replied Natalie.

"Dinner is at 7, and we dress for dinner" said Natalie as she got up.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Sig.

"Ask my sister" called Natalie over her shoulder.

Sipping a scotch Sig watched James pull a variety of suits out of his massive closet. He'd decided to forgo asking Nicole for help regarding suggestions on what "dress for dinner" meant and went directly to James. Natalie's brother had opened the door, invited Sig to have a drink and went to work figuring out what to do. Sig tried on a few suits and none of them fit well. Finally they found one that looked decent but it needed some tailoring. Without missing a beat James picked up the phone and a drink later there was a knock at the door. The local tailor came in and altered the suit while Sig was wearing it. He then took it out to steam it before dinner. Once he left Sig flopped down in a chair and let out a huge breath.

"I don't know how you do this" said Sig.

"I've done it all my life, I don't know anything different" said James.

"Oh" said Sig.

"I'm sure it's the same for you when people ask you how you can do your job" said James. "Natty said you've been exposed to it since you were little."

"It's in my blood" said Sig.

"Here's to living our family history" said James topping off Sig's drink.

"Cheers" said Sig, clinking his glass.

The two sipped their drinks for a few moments before Sig breached a new topic of conversations.

"What does Natalie like to do here?" he asked casually.

"Well to be fair she hasn't been here for years" said James. "But when we were younger we use to go exploring."

"Exploring?" prompted Sig.

"Yes, we'd leave in the morning and go out and walk on the beach, play in the caves along the water or hike through the jungle. We always had people at home to follow us, you know keep an eye on us. But here it was only our nannies and they were happy to let us burn off our energy. We were really happy then" said James wistfully.

"Why did Natalie move to Seattle?" asked Sig.

"Originally she moved to New York with Nicole" said James. "Nicky had started performing in New York and she'd asked Natalie to go with her. They travelled around to a few major venues and I guess they ended up in Seattle and Natalie wanted to stay. So she bought a house and started her business."

"Where did she go to school?" asked Sig.

"We all went to boarding school when we were young, Nicole went to an arts academy, Natalie and I went to university. She learned all her healing techniques from our nanny Regina. Eventually she went to additional school to become a healing nurse" explained James. "It's a waste of talent thought. She should be the one taking over the family business. She has an amazing head for business."

"Who's taking it over?" asked Sig.

"Me" said James. "Oldest male, you know. But Natalie is by far the smartest and most motivated out of all of us."

"Yeah we saw that on the boat" said Sig.

"Oh yeah?" said James, impressed. "What did she do on the boat, exactly?"

"Everything" said Sig. "She of course did all of her physical treatments but then she worked out on deck."

"On deck, doing what?" asked James.

"Sorted crab, baited pots, you know a little of everything" said Sig.

"I have no idea what sorted and baited means" said James. "I mean I know what the definition of the action is but not specifically how it's done on a crab boat."

"And she cooked" said Sig.

"Well that's not too surprising, she's the only one out of the lot of us that's ever learned to cook" said James.

"What about your dad?" asked Sig. "Doesn't she cook with him?"

"Yes, but she taught him" said James. "My father loves good food and when we'd go to restaurants he'd always wanted to change the ingredients. So Natalie bet him she could make the meals the way he wanted them at home. I imagine she did that to prevent us from getting our food spat in. Anyway she was right and they started to discover these amazing recipes together."

"That's really cool" said Sig.

"She's his favorite" said James.

There were no hard feelings, no anger, it was just a statement of fact. It was in that moment that Sig realized this family was completely different than his.

Natalie walked into the kitchen with a bucket full of fish heads. Her father was already there, a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting on the counter. The other ingredients were stacked on the counter separated into bowls already prepared by the kitchen staff.

"Hi Dad" said Natalie.

"My goodness you were up early" said her father. "I went to see if you wanted to have breakfast together and Regina said you'd been up for hours."

They embraced for a long moment before separating and giving each other a once over.

"You're looking thin my dear" said her father.

"You look well" said Natalie.

She ignored his comment and started to fill the sink with water. She soaked the fish heads for a moment before pulling out the gills.

"Where did you learn this recipe?" asked her father.

"From my friend Edgar" said Natalie. "On the boat in Alaska."

"Always an adventure for you isn't it" said her father with a chuckle.

"Well you inspired me" said Natalie.

"Your business seems to be doing well" said her father. "You know you can stop sending me the monthly checks. I gave you the start up money as a gift."

"I want to be self sufficient" said Natalie.

"You've proven yourself to me twice over" said her father.

"Thanks, but I want to pay you back" said Natalie. "Not for you but for me."

"Who is this man you've invited to our family vacation" said her father curiously.

"His name is Sig, he's the captain of the Northwestern" said Natalie. "Edgar's brother."

"Does he cook?" asked her dad.

"Um, I don't know" said Natalie.

"You don't know?" said her dad in shock. "I would think this would be one of the first questions you'd ask a suitor."

"Suitor?" said Natalie.

"Why else you'd you ask him to come" said her father.

Natalie stalled, she didn't know how to answer the question. Obviously she hadn't asked Sig to come and his arrival had been a complete shock, but she didn't know what her parents would think if she told them the truth. Instead of answering she just pressed on with the cooking. Her father noticed but tactfully avoided the subject for the moment. They'd obviously find out everything they'd need to know about the mysterious Sig Hansen at dinner. The soup was simmering on the stove while Natalie and her father were sitting on a counter watching the curry they'd made simmer on the stove.

Sig stood uncomfortably just outside the dinning room smoking a cigarette. He was dressed in the altered suit which James had so graciously agreed to let him to smoke in. A stickler for deadlines he was the first to arrive for dinner. He'd helped himself to a drink and stepped out on the patio. The door of the dinning room opened and a vision of loveliness swept into the room. It only took Sig a few steps to realize it was most likely Nicole and not Natalie. He tried to slip into the shadows of the deck but Nicole had spotted him the moment she'd crossed the threshold. She made a beeline towards the patio picking up a drink on the way.

"Sig, you look dashing in your suit" said Nicole, her hand resting on her arm.

"Thank you" said Sig stepping away from her.

"What did you do all day?" asked Nicole.

"Um, just spent the day trying to figure out what dress for dinner meant" said Sig with a chuckle.

"You should have asked me" said Nicole. "I would have found you something to wear, but from the look of it you didn't really need my help. You look smashing."

"Thanks" said Sig.

He stepped away to refill his drink and prayed for someone else to enter the room. His prayers were answered as Natalie's father entered the room, immediately crossing to the clutch of bottles on the bar. He poured himself a few fingers of scotch and then walked towards Sig.

"Hello, you must be Sig. I'm William Moore."

"Hello William, nice to meet you" said Sig.

"If you don't mind I like to get a few puffs in before dinner" said William pulling out a leather cigar case.

"Of course, your daughter is outside" said Sig.

"Which one" said William, hesitating slightly.

"Nicole" said Sig.

"Oh, that's fine" said William. "She wouldn't notice if a lorry crashed through the place. I'd like to have a chat with you before Natalie comes in."

They walked outside and Nicole barely inclined her head up from her spot on the lounge chair. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be meditating.

"Nice to see you too" said William to her.

He lit his cigar and took a few puffs before turning to face Sig. Sig in turn tried to look calm in the face of the unknown.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked quietly.

"I'll be frank" said William seriously. "Natalie has never invited someone on holiday before and she hasn't even come for the past few years. Clearly you two must be close for her to invite you. I want to know what your intentions are?"

Sig froze. Natalie had clearly given her parents the impression that she'd invited him and not that he'd arrived unexpectedly.

"Are you courting her?" prompted William.

"Yes" said Sig. "But I have a lot to make up for, she had a rather difficult season on the boat."

"Oh yes" said William. "I'm dying to hear all about her adventures, she'd been quite tight lipped about the whole experience. But I suppose if she wasn't good at it or sick all the time she'd want to avoid the whole topic."

"She was amazing on the boat" said Sig. "She worked harder than any greenhorn I've had."

"That's my girl" said William proudly. "Always puts her best foot forward."

The conversation was interrupted by the door banging open and James and Natalie storming into the room. James sauntered to the bar and grabbed a bottle of scotch and carried it out onto the patio. He poured a healthy shot into his father's glass and then into Sig's.

"Good evening gentlemen" said James filling his own glass. "Natty, scotch?"

"The family drink? Of course" said Natalie presenting her glass to be filled. "I think I need a little soda. Sig, can you help me?"

"Sure" said Sig.

They stepped back into the dining room and walked towards the bar. Once they were out of earshot Natalie started speaking.

"I would like to tell my parents about what happened on the boat" she whispered.

"Why?" asked Sig. "I thought you said I could do it."

"I know, but honestly it would come off weird" said Natalie. "They don't know why you're here."

"Your dad does" said Sig.

"What?" said Natalie rounding on him.

"I told him" began Sig.

He was cut off by the arrival of Natalie's mother. William walked in brushing politely passed the duo and meeting his wife with a glass of champagne.

"Darling, you look lovely" said William.

"Our guest finally arrives" she said moving past her husband towards Sig.

"Hello Mrs. Moore" said Sig extending his hand.

"Oh please call me Alice."

"Alice, very nice to meet you" said Sig.

"Anyone who Natalie's invited on holiday must be someone worth meeting" said Alice with a wink.

"Please stop" said Natalie.

"Oh darling, it's been ages since I've seen that look on your face" said Alice gleefully.

"It's been ages since you've seen my face" said Natalie in retort.

"Speaking of that, why this year?" asked William.

Natalie was saved from answering by the dinner bell.

The table was beautifully appointed with the finest silver and china. The crystal goblets were filled with wine and the first course was served. Sig looked down at the ridiculous number of spoons and forks lined up next to his plate. He'd been to fancy dinners before however none compared to this. Natalie sat across from him with Nicole on his left and Alice on his right. He felt a bit closed in.

"My goodness Natalie, this smells amazing" said Alice dipping her spoon gently into her bowl. "What is it?"

Natalie shared a glance with her father and they both smirked. Sig found the exchange heartwarming. It reminded him of his father.

"It's soupe de poisson" said Natalie with a regal flare.

"My goodness it sounds quite posh" said Nicole.

Sig dipped his spoon into the soup and carefully sipped making sure not to slurp. The moment the taste of the soup hit his tongue he knew the recipe. It was Edgar's fish head soup. He smiled at Natalie who caught his eye and winked. The simple act brought a burst of warmth to Sig's heart.

"So Sig, did you catch this crab?" asked William.

"No, most of the crab we catch is exported to Japan. They buy and consume ninety percent of our quota" explained Sig. "The other ten percent is purchased by high end restaurants."

"The crab we used for this recipe was caught locally" said Natalie.

"It's crackin" said James.

"The wine is local as well" said William.

"It's excellent" said Sig taking a sip.

"Sig, where is your accent from?" asked Alice. "It's quite unique."

"American" replied Sig. "Maybe with a bit of Norwegian mixed in. I didn't speak English until I started school."

"It's pleasant" said Alice.

"Not when it's yelling at you over a speaker" said Natalie under her breath.

"Natalie what happened to your accent?" asked Sig.

"I worked hard to get rid of it" she answered.

"It must have been hard learning a new language" said Sig.

"Don't give her too much credit, it's the same language. English" said Nicole.

"I didn't even know you were British" said Sig.

Natalie just shook her head in disbelief and went back to eating her soup.

The first course was finished and as the dishes were cleared Sig decided now was the time to broach the subject of Natalie's time on the boat. He was about to clear his throat when Nicole asked him a question.

"Sorry, I didn't quite get that" said Sig.

"I said, tell us about Natty's time on the boat?" repeated Nicole.

"She was amazing" said Sig. "Did a lot of hard work, fed us delicious meals and even worked out on deck."

"Why did she end up in hospital?" asked Nicole.

"It was a terrible set of circumstances" began Sig.

"I stabbed someone" interrupted Natalie.

"Oh my God" exclaimed her mother.

"Not again" said her father.

"Ah Natty, temper temper" said James.

Sig had not expected Natalie to volunteer that information and in his version of events he'd planned to leave that detail out. He also didn't expect her families reaction to the statement.

"There was a camera person on the boat and she attacked me on deck and I defended myself" said Natalie. "End of story."

"End of story?" shouted James. "End of story? Not bloody likely. You don't just pop off about stabbing someone and not give details."

"Are they dead?" asked her father seriously.

"No, she's fine" said Natalie.

"She?" barked her mother. "You attacked a woman?"

"Ugh" said Natalie dropping her head to the table.

"The woman in question was not a good person" said Sig taking a deep breath. "She took advantage of the intimate nature of the crab boat to ask inappropriate questions and film private moments without permission."

The words were taken from Natalie's letter to Antha. Sig hoped Natalie wouldn't mind him plagiarizing her work but when he glanced in her direction her head was still pressed against the table.

"It was my fault she got sick" continued Sig. "After the incident I remanded her to her quarters, where she stayed until we got back to port."

"Well of course" said William understandingly. "I'm sure it's maritime law or something."

Sig began to tell the truth when Natalie caught his eye and slowly shook her head.

"Is she going to sue?" asked Alice. "We don't want a scandal."

"It's fine" said Natalie. "Nothing for you to concern yourself about."

"It is our concern young lady" chided her mother. "Your father has built a strong reputation, this type of incident will not be overlooked in the press."

"There is no press about it" said Natalie. "It happened almost a month ago and you've heard nothing about it. I'm not getting my picture snapped by roving paparazzi in Dutch Harbor. It's not your concern."

"What about when the television show comes out" said her father.

"You know about the show?" asked Natalie.

"Of course I do" said William. "I know about everything you do, just like I do with all my children."

"I don't know then" said Natalie. "Maybe I won't be in it a lot."

She knew it was a lie. Her confrontation with Bishop was probably going to be heavily featured, Jason had told her as much.

"I suppose we should wait and see" said William.

"I can't imagine a girl would get stabbed and then not seek some sort of damages" said Alice conversationally.

"Can we just drop it" said Natalie.

"Of course" said James. "We'll just forget you just confessed to stabbing someone. Just brush it under the rug like it never happened until we see it on the telly with the rest of the world."

"If you'll excuse me" said Natalie pushing back from the table.

"No we won't" said Alice. "This has to be resolved."

"It doesn't concern you" said Natalie.

"You are our daughter, you can't take that back" said Alice. "What you do and how you carry yourself effects this family, it's a fact of life. You can't runaway from family no matter how hard you try."

"Good night mother" said Natalie.

Sig watched this exchange with silent dread. Everything Natalie had said to him about not wanting her family to know was playing in his mind. Her hesitancy had been well founded. He waited for another moment before excusing himself to check on Natalie.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you will continue to follow the story and submit a few words in review.

Natalie opened the door of her room and immediately began stripping out of her clothes. Before she'd gotten the zipper down Regina appeared. She stilled Natalie's hands and carefully stripped her before slipping a soft robe over her shoulders. Next she pressed a warm mug of tea into her hand and led her to a chair by the window. Regina walked into the bathroom and started to run a bath. She pulled out a soft horsehair brush and added some sweet smelling herbs to the water. She then returned to the room, took Natalie by the hand and led her into the bathtub.

"Oh Nanny, it was awful" said Natalie.

"Oh darling, tell me about it tomorrow" said Regina. "For tonight, just relax and think of nothing."

Tears coursed down Natalie's cheeks and she sunk under the water. Regina rolled up a towel and when Natalie finally surfaced she placed it behind her neck, lowered the lights and turned on the small stereo to some quiet music. Then Regina moved the hairbrush rhythmically through Natalie's hair. The motion was as familiar to Natalie as breathing and she was instantly calmed. Slowly she began to relax, willing her body to unfurl the tension into the water. She was in a state of mediation when the knock at the door came so she didn't hear it. However, Regina was up in a shot with the hopes to get to the door before another sound was made.

Sig paced outside Natalie's door hoping she was still up. He'd grabbed the bottle of wine from his room as a peace offering and then come straight over. He presumed the family was still eating dinner and hoped they would be for a while. Sig raised his hand to knock again when the door swung open, revealing a very angry woman.

"Sorry" said Sig. "I thought this was Natalie's room."

"It is" said Regina. "What do you want?"

Sig felt completely wrong footed. He struggled to find a response that wasn't defensive or rude.

"Well" prompted Regina.

"I'm hoping to see Natalie" began Sig. "To see if she's ok. There was an incident at dinner."

"Oh I'm sure there was" said Regina. "There always is."

"What's the deal with them" said Sig more to himself than the woman in front of him.

"They are a rich English family and everything is for sale, even their children" said Regina.

"She didn't deserve to be treated like that" said Sig. "I should have stepped in."

"It's no use to reason with the unreasonable" said Regina sagely. "It's best if you just step back from them. The more distance the better."

Sig sighed deeply and Regina sensing his discomfort placed a hand on his arm.

"Come in Sig Hansen, I'm sure Natalie would like a glass of that wine when she gets out of the bathtub" she said.

"Thanks" said Sig gratefully.

Regina hustled him into the room, took the bottle of wine and placed it on a tray before handing Sig a glass of water and a cool towel. She prompted him to drink the water and then placed the towel on his brow.

"This will help with your headache" she said simply.

"How did you know?" asked Sig.

"Any amount of time with the Moore's is enough to give anyone a headache, also you're eyes are squinted which is a sign of pain" explained Regina.

"Thank you" said Sig taking a gulp of the water. "Are you Natalie's, um..."

"I'm her nanny" said Regina simply.

"Seems she's a bit old for a nanny" said Sig with a smile.

"Be that as it may I will always hold a special place in her life regardless of her age" said Regina.

"Of course" said Sig. "Can you help me?"

"Help you what?" asked Regina.

"I want to make her happy" said Sig. "I want her forgiveness."

Regina looked critically at Sig for a few moments before she moved away.

"I thought if anyone could have helped me it would be you" said Sig.

"I can help you, Sig Hansen" snapped Regina. "I was the set of arms that held Natalie. I changed her nappies, wiped her tears and keep all her secrets. I know what you can do to win her over but I'm just trying to decide if you're worthy of the information."

"I don't think I am" said Sig suddenly. "I'm not sure anyone is worthy of Natalie, she is the most amazing woman I've ever met."

"She's very loyal, sometimes to a fault" said Regina. "But you've already witnessed that first hand."

"The more I think about it, the more realize how she went to bat for all of us at a time when we didn't even know we needed someone to" said Sig.

Regina walked over to a small writing desk and quickly scribbled out a name and number.

"Call this man, tell him it's something for Natalie Moore, he'll sort you out" said Regina.

"Thanks" said Sig.

Natalie appeared in the doorway her robe wrapped around her body. In that moment Sig thought she looked incredibly beautiful, her silky hair and pinkish skin. Regina rushed to her and guided her gently to the couch. Once Natalie was seated Regina excused herself and giving Sig a gentle smile tapped the wine bottle with her finger and walked out.

"How about a glass of wine?" suggested Sig.

"Sure" said Natalie. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you just stuck a straw in it."

"I'm fresh out of straws. How about I just give you a big glass" said Sig.

He poured the wine into two glasses, making sure to fill Natalie's up to the top.

"I'm sorry I brought up anything" said Sig.

"No, it would have come up anyway" said Natalie dejectedly. "The show would have aired and then all hell would have broke loose. At least this way they'll be ready for the media on slot."

"Still, it was probably the most uncomfortable dinner I've ever been to" said Sig.

"I wish I could say the same" said Natalie.

"You couldn't have possibly had a worse one" said Sig.

"Probably the most uncomfortable was the one after Nicole was caught shtupping our tennis coach in my room and my parents thought it was me."

"Couldn't you just tell them it wasn't you?" asked Sig.

"I did, they didn't believe me, Nicole remained completely silent as always. It was a mess. Finally James stood up for me, asking my parents if they thought that was something I'd do" said Natalie. "He's always been my champion."

"He thinks very highly of you" said Sig.

"We've always been close" said Natalie.

Taking a sip of her wine she studied Sig for a moment before he turned to face her.

"More wine?" asked Sig.

"You look very nice" said Natalie. "I meant to compliment you at dinner."

"It's James's suit" said Sig. "He had it tailored for me."

"He's very generous" said Natalie. "But I thought you'd have gone to Nicole for help."

"If I wanted a cheap imitation, but I like the original" said Sig.

"She's not cheap" said Natalie angrily. "And she's the original, she was born first."

"No" said Sig. "Not to me. To me you will always be first."

Natalie smiled tiredly and polished off her glass of wine. Sig immediately filled it up again and topped off his glass. He saw Natalie shiver slightly.

"Lets get you a blanket or would you like to get dressed?" asked Sig.

"I'm sure Regina has laid something out for me" said Natalie.

"It must be wonderful to have an" Sig searched for the right word, finally landing on "assistant".

"She's much more than that" said Natalie. "She's been my friend ever since I could remember. She taught me to walk, to talk, to sing, to dance and to always work for what I want. That I should never depend on money or family name to do well in life."

"Your brother thinks you're the smartest one in the family" said Sig.

Natalie smiled sadly and then got up, swaying slightly on her feet.

"Whoa" said Sig catching Natalie around the waist. "Lets get you to bed."

Natalie just nodded, her glass dropping noiselessly on the plush carpeting. Sig led her through to the bedroom. Once inside he turned down the bed and went to slide her in. Natalie struggled for a moment, fighting to gain her footing. Sig let her go, carefully making sure she was steady. Natalie slipped out of her robe and got into bed. The whole move took less than a minute but in that time Sig lost his breath. Her beautiful body was on display for a few seconds before she slipped beneath the covers. Suddenly Sig was worried she would notice the bulge in his pants but she was blissfully unaware as she settled into sleep.

Sig had just closed Natalie's door when he saw Nicole walking down the hall. His initial reaction was to dive back into the room but the door had already self locked. Taking a deep breath he turned to meet the girl head on. Nicole brushed past him and raised her hand to knock on Natalie's door.

"She's asleep" said Sig, grabbing Nicole's wrist.

"Oh, are you sure?" asked Nicole.

"Yes, just tucked her in" said Sig.

"My aren't you chivalrous" said Nicole with a smile.

Sig just nodded and began to walk down the hall. Nicole's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Would you like to come to my room for a nightcap?" she asked her voice dropping to a sexy purr. "Maybe you could tuck me in?"

Sig was saved from answering by James barking at Nicole from down the hall.

"Nicky, Sig and I have a little business to discuss" he said.

"Fine" said Nicole dismissively. "Maybe some other time."

Sig smiled and gave her a a half shrug before turning his attention to James.

"Sorry about that" said James. "You looked like you needed a bit of a lifeline."

"Thanks man" said Sig.

"She doesn't often take no for an answer" said James knowingly.

"Yeah, I get that" said Sig.

"Is Natty ok?" asked James seriously.

"Yeah I guess" said Sig.

"I mean physically" said James. "There is no knowing how mentally fucked up all of us are."

"She's fine" said Sig. "Sleeping soundly."

"You want a drink or something?" asked James. "I'm heading out for a smoke and a glass of something numbing."

"Sure" said Sig. "Just a quick one though."

"Early morning?" asked James.

"Possibly" said Sig.

"Good luck trying to beat Natalie up" said James. "She must get up at 5 or something, ridiculously early in any case."

Sig chuckled, this guy would never survive on a crab boat. That realization made Natalie all the more special.

Slipping out onto the patio James produced a bottle of scotch and two glasses. He filled both and handed one to Sig. Clinking the glasses together they both took a deep swallow before settling into a pair of deck chairs. The fires from a beach barbecue could be seen in the distance, the smell of spicy flavors just reaching their nostrils.

"Can I ask you a question?" said Sig hesitantly.

"Of course mate, ask anything you like" said James.

"What other things has Natalie done to make your family react the way they did?" asked Sig.

"To preface what I'm about to say" began James. "Natalie is loyal to a fault. Sometimes her sense of right and wrong overpowers her ability to think past the moment. That being said, she's attacked two other people before this incident on your boat. The first was embarrassingly enough in my defense. We were coming home from primary school one day and these ruff necked boys were hassling me. It happened a lot and I suppose I just got use to it. I'd hand over my pocket money and move on. Well one day they started to rough me up a bit and out of nowhere comes Natalie. She clocks them across the heads with her metal lunch box. She hammered them so hard that a few of them were bleeding. It was quite a sight, my little avenging angel. Those kids never bothered me again, but a few of the blighters went home and told their mummies that Natalie had jumped them in the street or some other rubbish. She got in trouble and was forced to go in for a mental evaluation. Then as part of her punishment she had to go to each of gits houses and apologize for her ruthless actions. I felt terrible. I tried to speak up but she stopped me. She said that only one of us should get in trouble and she didn't mind it was her."

James paused in his story and tipped his glass back and finished the scotch in one swallow. Sig saw him take a handkerchief from his pocket and dab his eyes.

"Anyway the next time was in secondary school" said James. "Nicole was going with someone from university or something and a girl on Natty's lacrosse team had some strong feeling about Nicole's shall we say virtue. Anyway the girl started spouting off and Natalie told her to stop, when she wouldn't she bashed her over the head with her stick. The girl required a trip to hospital and a fair few stitches. My parents basically paid off the family to prevent them from pressing charges. The whole thing was a mess. The thing about Natalie is that when she sees the people she loves getting hurt, either physically or otherwise, something just snaps and she is compelled to defend them by any means."

"That's what happened on the boat" said Sig. "She was defending us. I have to go, I'll catch up with you later."

Sig hurried off upstairs, he had a surprise to arrange for the Northwestern's avenging angel.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews. This chapter includes adult material.

There was barely a light in the sky when Sig trudged down to Natalie's door. His goal was to catch her before she went out for a run or early morning yoga. When he'd gotten back to his room he'd had a message from Regina telling him to make the plans tonight no matter the time. He'd called and the trip had been planned in less than 10 minutes. Jose had known exactly what Natalie would like and guided Sig into the perfect getaway. All Sig was responsible for was to get Natalie outside the front entrance of the hotel by 7 am. Sig himself had already packed a bag and had asked Regina to pack a bag for Natalie. Finally arriving at Natalie's door Sig hesitated before finally knocking lightly. Regina opened the door and let Sig in holding her fingers to her lips. She led him over to the couch and plied him with some warm tea.

"She's still sleeping" Regina whispered.

"We have to be out front at 7" said Sig.

"She'll be fine" said Regina. "I packed her bag, she will be able to get up and go."

"Are you sure?" asked Sig. "Every woman I've ever known takes time to get presentable."

"She will be fine" repeated Regina.

Sig was about to answer when noises started from the bedroom. Regina excused herself and a few minutes later Natalie emerged sleep softened but dressed.

"Hi" she said sleepily.

"Hi" replied Sig. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh really?" asked Natalie.

"Yes, lets go" said Sig.

Regina handed Natalie her bag. Natalie nodded in confusion but followed Sig out the door. Once the door was closed Regina said a little prayer and went to work on Natalie's excuses. She didn't want the family to ruin Sig and Natalie's adventure.

Sig panted heavily as he trudged up the steep path. He'd contemplated turning back many times, but the bare legs and tight clad bottom in front of him prevented it. Natalie walked ahead carrying a small backpack full of water and snacks. They'd only stopped twice, both at Sig's request. The trip had been a complete surprise. Jose had met them at the hotel, driven them to a trail head, handed Sig a map and left. Natalie had picked up the backpack, glanced at the map and then taken off at a vomit inducing pace. Sig didn't like roughing it, he did it too many months of the year on a crab boat. Natalie breezed up a small cliff and then stopped. It took Sig a moment to catch up to her and once he did he looked over the horizon. Below them was a beautiful camp, perched on a cliff. There was a massive tent, a small outdoor shower, a small fire was burning and a table laden with food and drink was covered by mosquito netting.

"Oh Sig, this is amazing" said Natalie before she scrambled down the cliff.

"Thank God we're here" muttered Sig.

The campsite was incredibly appointed, the tent was filled with a fully appointed king sized bed. There was a separate table, covered with netting, full of food and drinks. Natalie immediately walked to the edge of the campsite and looked at the flawless pool below. She glanced back over her shoulder, stripped off her clothes and dove into the water. Sig didn't know what to do first, strip off his clothes, have a drink or kneel down to thank the gods.

"Come in Sig" called Natalie. "I promise not to peek."

"You can peek all you want, I'm going to" said Sig with a wink.

He grabbed a bottle of champagne and followed Natalie over the cliff. His breath was swept away by the shock of the cold water. It took him a minute to feel Natalie's warm arms around him, pulling him to the surface.

"Breath" said Natalie taking the bottle from Sig's hands.

Sig sucked in breaths, trying to keep himself from throwing up. In the meantime Natalie popped the bottle of champagne and poured some into her mouth. Treading water she offered some to Sig.

"Are you kidding?" he panted. "I can barely keep myself above water."

"Your loss" said Natalie chugging back another drink.

"Natalie, please don't drown" said Sig. "I can't save you."

"You already have" said Natalie swimming away.

Sig glowed with the praise and swam over to where Natalie was treading water. He grabbed her around the waist. Natalie turned and wrapped her legs around Sig's making sure not to spill the bottle.

"You are a much better swimmer than I would give you credit for" said Natalie.

"You are lucky I can even speak" said Sig.

Natalie giggled happily and swam towards the shore. She set the bottle on a pile of rocks and than swam towards the waterfall. Sig followed her desperately trying to get more contact with her body.

"This place is amazing" said Natalie.

"I'm glad you like it" said Sig. "I thought it would be a nice getaway for you."

"Did Regina help you?" asked Natalie.

For a moment he thought about denying it but he knew how much Natalie hated lying.

"Yes, she gave me a name and number" said Sig. "I had no idea what it was going to be but the guy just went off once I gave him your name."

"What do you think of Regina?" asked Natalie.

"Honestly, I'd like to hire her for the boat" said Sig.

"She's pretty amazing" said Natalie.

She dipped her head under the waterfall and let it pound her skin. Sig watched her and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. She was so happy, so different from how she acted when she was with her family.

"What are you doing?" asked Natalie.

"Starring at a naked girl under a waterfall, what do you think I'm doing?" replied Sig.

They swam for what seemed like hours. Sig watched each dip and curve of Natalie's body as it moved through the water. Finally Natalie suggested they eat something. Sig watched her climb out of the pool and wondered if she was part monkey.

Wrapped in towels Sig and Natalie ate bits of food from all the plates. They found a small grill set up and a cooler with steaks and lobsters. Sig fired up the grill and started cooking. Natalie sunned herself on a rock until the food was ready.

"Soups on" said Sig.

"It smells delicious" said Natalie. "I didn't know you cooked."

"I was the boats cook before Edgar" said Sig.

"I thought Matt was the cook" said Natalie.

"I was first, then Edgar, then Matt" explained Sig.

Natalie picked up a piece of meat with her fingers and popped it in her mouth. Sig watched her eyes close in appreciation.

"Delicious, absolutely amazing" said Natalie. "Try some."

She picked up another piece of meat and fed it to Sig. He smiled a thank you and then picked up a piece and fed Natalie. This went on until the meat was finished.

"So Sig, what do you like to do when you're not fishing?" asked Natalie.

"I usually work on the business aspects of the boat, paperwork, stuff for the website, product development and promotion of the show" said Sig.

"Don't you ever just take time off?" asked Natalie.

"Not like this" said Sig. "I bet we don't even get cell service up here" said Sig.

"Probably not" said Natalie. "It's nice to be completely detached from the rest of the world."

"Would you live here forever?" asked Sig.

"No" replied Natalie. "Eventually I'd get lonely."

"I'd stay with you" said Sig.

"Well I suppose that would sweeten the deal" said Natalie. "But you'd miss your boat and your brothers."

"James told me about the other incidences" said Sig in sudden seriousness.

"Oh yeah?" said Natalie. "Lets not ruin a beautiful outing by dredging up the past."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you on the boat" said Sig.

"Its' fine" said Natalie. "I forgive you."

She got up and went into the tent. Sig cursed his luck when she returned dressed.

Sig panicked, wondering if she was going to leave. He let out the breath he was holding when Natalie sat down on one of the pillows.

"I can't let it go" said Sig. "I'm obsessing over it."

"No kidding" said Natalie. "I'm sure you didn't fly all the way to Costa Rica for the scenery."

"Yeah, you caught me" said Sig.

"Listen Sig, I appreciate your apology" said Natalie. "But as someone once said 'it is what it is', you can't change what happened. You've said repeatedly that you made a mistake, that's all you can do. You have to let it go."

"I want to make it up to you" said Sig.

"You can't" said Natalie. "This trip is great. I needed to get away from my family. The incident at dinner was just a reminder of why I live so far away from them."

"Ok, lets forget about it" said Sig. "Lets have a drink."

Sig poured them both a glass of wine, they sat in silence and sipped at their drinks.

"You were really amazing on the boat" said Sig. "Better than any greenhorn I've ever had."

"Don't tell Jake that" said Natalie.

"He already knows" said Sig. "He was the first one to point it out."

"Do you think you'd be able to go a whole day without talking about fishing?" asked Natalie.

"No" said Sig. "It's my life."

"It's a part of you but it doesn't need to define you" said Natalie sagely.

Sig turned to face her, completely floored by her statement.

"Fishing is all my family knows" said Sig. "Of course it defines me."

"It shapes who you are and it's important, but that's not all you are. You are much more three dimensional than just some captain in the wheelhouse" said Natalie.

"If you say so" said Sig unconvinced.

"Come on, you must have a hobby" said Natalie. "Maybe you collect stamps, race cars, raise kittens in your spare time."

"Raise kittens?" said Sig with a raised eyebrow.

"I was going to say make amateur porn but I thought the kittens thing was better to get your attention" said Natalie.

Sig barked out a tremendous laugh which made Natalie laugh, which turned into a giggle and then a huge snort. The snort set Sig off and the laughing only ended when they both got the hiccups. A few drinks of water later and they were back to normal.

The sun was setting on what Natalie considered an almost perfect day. She was deliciously tired from all the swimming, eating and drinking. She and Sig had gorged themselves on the delicious food and sunned themselves until they were pink. Sig was sleeping face down on the bed in the tent and Natalie watched the sky for the sunset star. Sig woke up and walked outside, he was dressed only in a pair of low slung beach shorts. Natalie's profile was backlit by the setting sun and it took Sig's breath away. As he walked up behind her, Natalie scooted over to make room for him on the rock.

"It's beautiful isn't it" said Natalie.

"Yes, you are" said Sig.

Natalie blushed in embarrassment and looked out over the ocean.

"It's funny but even though Nicole and I are identical she's always told she's beautiful and I'm always told I'm smart" said Natalie. "I suppose I'd rather be smart than beautiful."

"You're both" said Sig. "She's only one."

"She's smart" said Natalie defensively. "She speaks five languages, memorizes operas in a day and never forgets a face."

"Why do you defend her?" asked Sig. "Does she ever do the same for you?"

"I never ask her to" said Natalie.

"Does she ask you?" asked Sig.

Natalie turned her head away and Sig quickly dipped his arm around her shoulders to keep her from running off.

"I think you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met" said Sig. "And too smart for my own good."

Natalie smiled and before she could look away Sig leaned in and kissed her. It was gentle at first but when his tongue traced along her lips she opened her mouth. Sig's hands twisted in her hair and Natalie stroked his naked chest. When they finally broke the kiss, both were out of breath.

"Smart, beautiful and you kiss like" began Sig.

His statement was cut off by another searing kiss. This time Sig's hands drifted to Natalie's shoulders, then down her arms and finally down to her breasts. The moment his hand came into contact with them she pulled away.

"Sorry, it's just I haven't done this" began Natalie.

"Oh my God" said Sig as if praising God. "You're a virgin."

"Uh, no" said Natalie. "I was going to say I haven't done this in a while."

"Right" said Sig. "Of course, I'm sure you've done it many times before."

"Before you talk yourself into a kick in the balls, lets get back to kissing" said Natalie.

Sig nodded sheepishly and had just a moment to catch his breath before Natalie pounced on him.

"I'd love to continue this in a more comfortable setting" suggested Sig. "This rock is killing my back."

"I suppose we could go somewhere more conducive to romance and back health" said Natalie.

Sig scooped Natalie into his arm and walked unsteadily towards the tent.

"This can't be good for back health" said Natalie.

"It's worth it" grunted Sig.

******(Gratuitous Sex Scene)*******

He dropped her with a plop on the bed, letting her bounce slightly before slipping on top of her. Natalie stretched her hands over her head enjoying the comfort of the mattress. Their clothes were stripped off between kisses. And after a few deep kisses Natalie pulled Sig over so she was hovering above him.

"Oh, did you think you were going to be in charge?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" said Sig, trying to flip her over.

Sig attempted to fight to flip her over, but her thighs held him fast. After struggling for a few moments Sig laid still.

"Trust me, I'll make it worth your while" she whispered.

Sig let go of trying to gain control and once Natalie felt his compliance she slipped down with her lips heading south. She peppered his chest with kisses and then licked his bellybutton. Sig's hand's gripped the sheets once Natalie's lips encircled his cock. Her warm mouth was overwhelming and Sig had to bite his lip to prevent himself from spending immediately. After a few moments, when Sig could no longer control himself he tried to pull Natalie off of him. He struggled for a moment before her hands went to his thighs, pinning him in place. Her mouth moved up and down sucking him into oblivion. He tried to hold off as long as possible but her mouth was too much for him and with a shout he came. Natalie swallowed every drop and then smiled broadly. Sig laid back for a moment collecting his breath before flipping Natalie over to give her his own tongue lashing. He spread her legs wide and dipped his head so he was even with her pussy. Instead of telling her his plans of torture he just set his lips on her. He pulled her lips into his mouth sucking on every part but her clit. Natalie tried to move her hips to get that delicate part between Sig's lips. He moved his mouth off of her a few times before finally giving her what she wanted. His mouth descended on her in earnest, sucking her until she was cumming all over his face. Sig licked up every drop before lining up and sinking home. She was virgin tight and for a moment Sig questioned her assertion that she wasn't. That idea was shattered when Natalie flipped him over so she was astride him. She bounced her body up and down, moving Sig's hand to her clit and showing him how she wanted him to manipulate it. When his hand faltered she slapped it away and brought herself to orgasm again and again. Natalie began to slowdown and Sig rolled them both over, carefully keeping them joined. Once settled he began a breakneck pace, snapping his hips against her. It didn't take long before Sig was approaching his climax.

"Come on Natalie, one more time" coaxed Sig.

Natalie moved her fingers down and manipulated her clit until she was clenching around him. Sig roared out his climax and then after a valiant effort, of all of ten seconds, he collapsed on top of her.

"Sig, you're crushing me" said Natalie.

"I can't move" said Sig. "You're too soft."

Natalie pushed him over and moved to get comfortable. Sig wrapped her in his arms and promptly fell asleep. Natalie laid her head on his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart. By the time it slowed to it's normal pace Natalie was fast asleep.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming.

Sig rolled over as a breeze swept across his chest. The body that had kept him shielded from the elements was gone. His eyes snapped open and he reached out to search for Natalie. He found her laying just out of his reach, she was laying face up, her arm covering her face. Sig propped himself on his elbow and looked at Natalie's sleeping form. Pulling the corner of the sheet he revealed her breasts and when he pulled harder the rest of her body quickly came into view. Her tanned skin was barely visible in the moonlight but Sig was sure he could find his way on touch alone. His hand traced along her collarbone and then moved his fingers down the soft slope of her breasts. The soft and cool skin called to Sig. He leaned forward and rubbed his stubble roughened cheek against her before dotting her chest with kisses. Reaching the nipple he opened his mouth and pulled it between his lips. He sucked gently until it puckered.

"What are you doing?" asked Natalie's sleepy voice.

Sig looked up and smiled, her nipple still in his mouth. He began to suck harder, causing Natalie to arch her back in response. Sig switched his attention to the other nipple and after a few minutes she was thrashing back and forth on the bed. This time the sex was more animalistic, fast and hard. Sig collapsed on the bed gasping for breath. Natalie rolled back onto her side and promptly went back to sleep.

The sun had started to rise and a small sunbeam had fallen on Natalie's face. She rolled over and hid her face under the pillow. But the damage was done and she was wide awake. With a sigh she sat up and looked over at Sig, who was quietly snoring. Natalie pulled herself out of bed and grabbed one of the robes laying across a footstool. Stepping out of the tent the air still had it's morning chill. There was the sound of a truck and Natalie pulled the robe tighter around her. The slam of a door put her on alert, she tried to decided where to hide.

"Natalie, it's Jose."

"Jose?"

"Yes, Regina sent me up here" he announced.

Natalie scurried over to where he was in order to prevent him from waking Sig.

"Is she ok?" asked Natalie.

"She has a message for you" said Jose. "They've called in the Firm."

"Oh fuck" said Natalie. "What else did she say?"

"To call her" said Jose.

"I don't have signal" said Natalie with a huff.

"Use mine" said Jose handing her his phone. "Just push send, I've already put in the number."

Natalie smiled her thanks and grabbed the phone. Holding the phone to her ear she stepped a few feet away and waited for Regina to pick up.

"Hello?" answered a timid voice.

"Regina, it's Natalie, what's going on?"

"Natalie, my dear, the whole team of lawyers have been called. They will be here at any time" explained Regina.

"Crap" said Natalie. "I don't understand why they think they can do this to me. I'm going home."

Natalie was upset and a few tears had started to leak out of her eyes.

"My dear, don't worry" said Regina. "I've packed your bag. But I need to get Mr. Hansens's permission to pack his."

"Of course, let me ask him" said Regina.

She handed the phone off to Jose with the promise she'd be back and not to hang up. Rushing into the tent she hopped onto the bed. Sig didn't stir. Natalie huffed in annoyance and gave him a stinging slap on the ass.

"What the fuck" bellowed Sig into the pillow. "It you are into this, I'm going to do the same to you."

"Can Regina pack up your room?" asked Natalie.

"Why?" asked Sig, still sleepy.

"Because we are about to go cloak and dagger" said Natalie.

"Are you going to stab someone with a dagger?" asked Sig.

"I'm going to stab you if you don't answer my fucking question" said Natalie.

"Yes, she can pack up my room" said Sig confusedly.

"Great, get dressed" said Natalie.

She rushed out of the tent and back to the phone.

"Regina, go ahead and pack up his room" said Natalie. "And then send the bags.."

"Natalie, I'll send the bags to the airport, I'll arrange the flight for you and Sig" listed Regina. "All you have to do is confront them."

"Confront them?" said Natalie in shock.

"Yes, darling if you don't do it now they will not let this go" said Regina seriously.

"I don't think I want to" said Natalie.

"Of course you don't, but you have to" said Regina.

"I'll see you in a bit" said Natalie, her voice full of defeat.

"Chin up poppet" said Regina.

Natalie hung up the phone with a smile and handed it back to Jose.

"Just give us a few minutes and we'll come with you" said Natalie.

Jose nodded and went back to warm up the truck. Natalie scurried back to the tent and was surprised to see Sig dressed and ready to go. He help up her bag and his.

"I'm ready."

"You're amazing" said Natalie. "I'll thank you later."

"I'm looking forward to it" said Sig.

"Before we go, I want to give you a heads up of what's about to happen" said Natalie pulling on some clothes.

"Ok" said Sig warily.

"Regina is packing up our stuff and getting us a flight out" said Natalie.

"You are not going to be able to get a flight out of here today" said Sig. "There's like one commercial flight every two days or something."

"It's not a problem" said Natalie.

"If you say so" said Sig dismissively.

"When we get back to the hotel I want you to wait in the lobby. I need to see my parents and then we are leaving, probably quickly" explained Natalie.

"Ok" said Sig, clearly confused by the whole situation.

The ride back to the hotel was silent, even the birds in the air seemed to have gone silent. Jose pulled into the drive of the hotel and let Sig and Natalie out. Sig gave him an extra pair of hundreds for giving him the best 24 hours of his life. Regina met them at the door and quickly separated Sig from Natalie. She moved the bag to the waiting limo and told Natalie where to meet her parents. Once Natalie had moved on she motioned for Sig to follow her. Natalie had immediately walked to the dinning room with short angry steps. She reached the door and opened it with a bang. Just as she'd expected the lawyers were sitting around a large table talking to her mother. Her father sat off to the side carefully dissecting his toast. He saw Natalie first and got up to greet her.

"Natalie, we were wondering where you slipped off to."

"I just want to say this once" said Natalie firmly.

"Sit down dearest, we have a lot to discuss" said her mother.

"No" said Natalie.

Her tone caused everyone in the room to turn. Sig and Regina were standing just outside the cracked doorway.

"Well, you may say your piece when we are finished" said her mother.

"No" said Natalie. "Here's the deal. I don't need the firm, you don't need to worry about me. Honestly I've been my own person for years and you haven't needed to do anything for me. I don't regret having you come to get me, I needed you and I appreciate that you went all the way to Alaska to get me. This vacation has been amazing, but I don't really know what you thought it meant. Honestly, I love you but I realize why I've been apart from you. I don't need saving and I don't need you to intervene on my behalf."

"Miss Moore, your mother has expressed her concern about you being sued or defamed by the Deadliest Catch production. We have a cease and desist letter that could block the compromising footage" explained one of the lawyers.

"No" said Natalie. "It's none of your business."

"It is our business, or rather your father's business could be destroyed by bad press" said her mother.

"It doesn't involve you" said Natalie.

"The UK watches this show, you will be recognized" said the lawyer.

"Honestly, I won't" said Natalie. "I look terrible in the show, my mother barely recognized me when she picked me up."

"Still we feel like it would be in the best interest of the family to block your footage from being aired" said the lawyer.

"No, it will ruin the show and break the contract that we all sign" said Natalie.

"Any contract would be null and void if bodily injury is involved" said the lawyer.

"Seriously?" balked Natalie. "This is a job where people die every year, there is no such clause in the contract. Just drop it."

"If you won't help us, then we will block it ourselves" said her mother angrily.

"Don't bother trying, I will block you at every step possible" said Natalie. "You need my permission to file on my behalf and you do not have it."

"You are my child" said her mother.

"Yes, I am, but I'm not your dependent" spat Natalie. "Thanks for the vacations, it was lovely to see you and I will of course send the Christmas gifts to Saint Tropez as always."

With that announcement Natalie turned and walked out the door. Natalie pulled Sig away from the door just in time for Natalie to make her exit. They hustled down the hallway towards the waiting limo.

"Good job Natalie" said Regina.

"Come with me" said Natalie.

"You don't need me" said Regina.

She gave Sig a hug and pulled Natalie in for a fierce hug and a kiss.

"I'll come when the children arrive" said Regina as she closed the door on Natalie's shocked face.

Speeding to the airport Sig watched as Natalie's phone rang nonstop. She did her best to ignore it before finally turning it off and throwing it in her bag. Sig looked out the window at the speeding scenery before noticing a bag on the floor. It was a shopping bag and he was certain it wasn't his. Figuring it was Natalie's he picked it up and placed it on the seat next to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Isn't it yours?" asked Sig.

"No. I thought it was yours" replied Natalie.

Sig shook his head and then moved the bag towards him. He reached in and looked at the contents.

"I think it's a care package" said Sig.

"It must be from Regina" said Natalie with a smile.

"There a whole lunch in here and like five different kinds of cookies" said Sig.

"She's quite thoughtful" said Natalie.

"She must be where you learned it from" said Sig.

Natalie gave a distracted smile and then turned to gaze out the window. Sig took his dismissal in stride and rummaged through the bag until he found a cookie he liked. The drive to the airport was quick and before Sig knew it the car had stopped. The door opened and Sig was face to face with a plane.

"Sir" said the driver in an attempt to get Sig moving.

"Yeah, sorry" muttered Sig.

Natalie gave him a playful shove and once he moved out of the car she emerged. Taking the lead she left the suitcases for the porters and took strides towards the parked plane. Sig followed her across the tarmac and up the stairs to the private jet.

"Miss Moore, it's lovely to see you again" said the flight attendant. "Everything is set for departure and we can leave as soon as the luggage is loaded."

"Thank you" said Natalie. "I'm sorry this is so last minute."

"We're happy to serve you" said the flight attendant.

"You've been busy" said Natalie settling into a seat. "What with the lawyers arriving."

"We didn't fly them, we've been on standby" said the flight attendant.

"On who's orders?" asked Natalie.

"Your mother's" said the flight attendant with a wink.

Natalie nodded in realization that Regina had held the plane for her and allowed a brief smile to cross her face. Sig slid into the seat across from her. The moment they were settled a vodka and coke was set in front of Sig, in front of Natalie a glass of champagne.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Please read and review. Sorry for the delay in updating.

The plane rumbled down the runway a few minutes after the pair boarded the plane and took off into the air. The lushness of Costa Rica slowly faded into the distance as the plane lifted above the clouds. Settling into the comfortable chair Sig began to look around. The plane was incredibly well appointed and even included a few large couches. The flight attendants were completely invisible, one moment a drink was empty the next full. The farther the plane flew from Costa Rica the happier Natalie became, Sig contributed it to moving farther from her family and the constant flow of champagne slowly filtering through her body.

"Fancy a snack?" she asked.

"Sure" said Sig.

Natalie opened the bag Regina had packed for them and pulled out the food. Plates magically arrived at their elbows and Natalie dished out. Regina has packed a feast of curry, pork loin and a variety of salads. The small plates were loaded with food and a delicious bottle of wine arrived with two glasses.

"You look happier" said Sig.

"That's because I am" said Natalie.

"I'm not much a wine drinker, but this is amazing" said Sig taking a drink of the wine.

"Only the best" said Natalie sarcastically.

"Who's plane is this?" asked Sig.

"It's my mother's" said Natalie. "My father has one that he uses for business and I think Nicole may have one so she can travel in style to and from her gigs."

"Wow" said Sig.

"Don't get caught up in it" said Natalie. "I try not to."

Sig's eyes cast around towards the back of the plane where he noticed a small pull out style bed.

"How many people have joined the mile high club on that?" asked Sig.

"I don't know" said Natalie. "A few."

"Do you know what the mile high club is?" said Sig.

"It's when you shag in a plane" said Natalie simply.

"Your British is showing" teased Sig.

"It will for a few days but then it will go back to my American accent" said Natalie.

"I like your accent" said Sig.

"You should learn english then" quipped Natalie.

"It's like talking to Mary Poppins" said Sig.

"Mary Poppins? That's the best you could come with" said Natalie with a shake of her head.

"To be fair, I'm a little tired" said Sig.

"Oh yeah. No mile high club for you then" said Natalie closing her eyes.

"I'm not that tired" said Sig hopefully.

"To late, I'm sleeping" mumbled Natalie through closed eyes.

Sig huffed a little and sat back in his seat. Natalie watched through slitted eyes and valiantly fought to keep from laughing at his petulant attitude.

The decent into SeaTac airport was slightly harrowing, the cross winds were fierce and the pilot fought to keep the plane steady. Neither Natalie or Sig noticed because they were both fast asleep. The bump onto the runway jostled them into waking. Natalie stretched lazily and glanced out the window, only to be greeted by sheets of rain. An instant smile spread across her face.

"Why do you look so happy?" asked Sig.

"It's raining" said Natalie gleefully.

"It's too bad we had to leave Costa Rica" said Sig. "The weather was much nicer."

"I'll take rain over hot any day" said Natalie.

"Your coats" said the flight attendant as the plane came to a stop.

"Cheers" said Natalie, causing Sig to give her a sidelong glance.

The small door of the aircraft opened and the frigid air swirled into the plane. Natalie pulled her jacket around her tight before walking down the steps. Sig followed. The ground crew quickly covered the pair with umbrellas and led them into the hangar.

"The car is ready to take you."

"Thank you so much, for everything" said Natalie with a smile.

She placed a handful of bills into the man's hand and walked towards the limo. She and Sig settled into the plush seats and a moment later the car was moving.

"Do you mind if we just go to my house?" asked Natalie. "I'll drive you home later."

"That's fine" said Sig.

"Great, that way I don't have to try to figure out how to give directions to a place I've never been" said Natalie her voice edged with exhaustion.

The car cut through the mounting traffic with surprising ease. Natalie hadn't given the driver directions and Sig realized that she either often travelled with the driver or the man was psychic. He wanted to ask Natalie but he found her dozing in the seat beside him. He studied her for a moment, noticing how young she looked in sleep, her face smooth and no worry lines marred her forehead. The time in Costa Rica had been an eye opener for Sig. From the outside the life of the Moore family looked like such a charmed one but in reality it was far too complicated for his tastes. After a while the car began winding it's way up through Natalie's neighborhood. As if sensing she was close to home Natalie slowly roused herself. The car pulled into her drive and stopped. The door opened and Natalie and Sig got out. Again Natalie thanked the driver, pressing a few bills into his hand before rolling her own suitcase to the door.

The house was pleasantly warm when the pair entered. Sig followed Natalie into a small foyer and they removed their coats. Natalie moved through the house checking on her plants and half glancing through the mail. Sig seemed at a loss of what to do, so he took a seat at the small bistro table in the kitchen and just watched Natalie go about her business. She put away the cell phone she'd carried on the trip and took out another one, which she immediately powered on. Sitting down next to a small telephone table she listened to her messages, carefully writing the details on a small pad of paper. Taking a moment she pulled a large calendar out of the desk and thoughtfully looked at her schedule for the following few days. Sig was impressed by her organization. He was also hungry. Knowing she hadn't been home for over a month he figured her fridge would be completely empty, but needing the satisfaction of knowing for sure he decided to investigate. As he figured the fridge contained only a bottle of white wine and a six pack of beer. Helping himself to a beer he sat back down at the table wondering idly which take out places delivered to this part of town.

"Are you hungry?" asked Natalie.

"A little" replied Sig.

"I'll whip something up" said Natalie turning to the pantry.

In the blink of an eye a pot of water was boiling on the stove and a jar homemade tomato sauce was being slowly warmed. Natalie sliced a few olives and tossed them in the pot. Ten minutes later two steaming plates of pasta sat on the table along side a delicious bottle of red wine.

"Wow" said Sig in astonishment. "That was impressive."

"Thanks" said Natalie blowing on her pasta.

"Did you make this sauce?" asked Sig.

"Yes, I canned it" said Natalie.

"Why?" asked Sig.

"Because I like homemade sauce but don't have time to make it every single time I want it" said Natalie.

"You must have a lot of time on your hands" said Sig.

"Not really, but I make time for what's important to me" said Natalie.

She sipped her wine and watch Sig inhale the plate of pasta and serve himself seconds. It was nice to see her food enjoyed by another person. She felt like you can only praise your own cooking so many times because you sound like a braggart, even if it's only when alone.

An hour later Sig's eyes began to droop. Natalie was still going about her business with no real notice of what Sig was doing. Eventually she stopped with a huge yawn and took stock of her situation. Suddenly realizing that Sig was half asleep she judiciously moved them upstairs. Sig sat heavily on the bed and began pulling off his shoes and socks without even cracking open an eyelid. Natalie had stripped out of her clothes leaving a trail of them leading to the bathroom. The sound of water running roused Sig from his exhaustion induced stupor. He stood shakily and walked slowly towards the bathroom. He pushed open the door and was greeted by a billow of steam. The giant room was carpeted with the same plush carpet as the bedroom. There were 2 sinks and a separate vanity table. A large raised bathtub was the focal point of the room, it was situated next to a picture window. A frosted glass shower sat in a corner at least Sig was fairly sure it was frosted glass, it could just be filled with steam. Natalie was rinsing her hair, completely oblivious that Sig had entered the room. Before Sig could react the shower turned off and Natalie emerged naked and dripping.

"Oh, hey" she said slightly surprised.

"I" began Sig, but completely ran out of words.

Natalie's skin was pink from the hot shower and the small rivulets of water rolled down her body drawing attention to the valley between her breasts and her smooth belly. The moment was broken when she grabbed a towel and began drying herself off.

"If you want to shower or something help yourself" said Natalie. "I'm exhausted but I needed to shower. Traveling always makes me feel gross."

Sig decided on a shower. He stepped into the stall and turned on the water. It rained down on him pounding away the muscles aches and pains. He washed his hair and body mechanically as he closed his eyes. Rinsing himself quickly he shut off the shower and stepped out. A towel was sitting on the heated towel bar and next to it was a fluffy white robe. Sig slipped into the robe and walked into the bedroom.

The lights were all off except for the one on the side of the bed. It took Sig a minute for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He took a few steps towards the bed and stopped. Natalie was laid face down on the bed, she was completely naked and her skin seemed to be glowing in the low light. Sig dropped his robe on the floor next to the bed and slipped into the bed. The feel of the sheets caused Sig to moan at the feeling of the fabric against his bare skin.

"Oh my God, this is amazing. What is it?" he asked.

"It's silk" muttered Natalie, her head stuffed into her pillow. "Go to sleep."

Sig snuggled into the soft sheets and draped his arm over Natalie's prone body before promptly pulling her towards him. Natalie rolled into the dip in Sig's body and settled back into sleep. Hours later Sig awoke to the feel of a warm mouth closed over his cock. The tender sucking was bringing him close to orgasm and he felt his breath catch in his throat. His hands dropped to Natalie's head and tugged on her hair, detaching her mouth from him. She crawled up his body and kissed him. He pulled her higher so he could test her readiness. Feeling her moisture he lined himself up and pushed home. Natalie sat up and began to bounce herself up and down. She worked hard, her leg muscles tensing as she lifted herself almost all the way off before slamming back down. Her pace was frantic and Sig placed his hands on her hips in an effort to slow her down. He wanted it to last as long as possible. Natalie's hair fell over her face and her pace faltered as she tried to move it.

"Getting tired?" asked Sig.

"No" said Natalie.

"Too bad" said Sig as he tried to flip her over.

Natalie squeezed her thighs together preventing Sig from gaining the momentum he needed to roll them over.

"Come on baby" said Sig.

"Uh uh uh" said Natalie shaking her head. "I'm in charge."

"Fine" said Sig.

He placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Natalie smirked at his attitude and vowed to make him suffer for it. She slowed her pace and rocked her body slowly, dragging her clitoris against Sig's pubic bone. She could do this all night and keep herself on the brink of orgasm but she knew it did very little for the man underneath her. After a few minutes Sig's eyes snapped open in annoyance. He studied her face for a moment before reaching down and grabbing her butt. He squeezed it hard enough to make Natalie shift forward. Once she was off balance he flipped her over and started to pound into her. She moaned in a weak protest which quickly turned into one of deep pleasure. The pace quickened and Natalie slipped her hand between them and manipulated herself until she was pulsing around Sig. Their co-mingled gasps of pleasure filled the room before Sig collapsed on the bed. Natalie promptly rolled over and went back to sleep. Sig watched her breathing slow and then surrendered himself to the land of nod.

The light filtered through the window brightening the room despite the lack of sun outside. Sig blinked a few times before reaching out for Natalie. He found her side of the bed empty. He got out of bed and donned the robe she had left for him. Sig wandered downstairs, surprised at how warm the floors were. He padded through the doorway and was stopped immediately by the sight of Natalie in the kitchen. She was wearing her fluffy robe, it was open showing a pair of underwear and a tank top underneath. She was leaning over her counter intently studying a newspaper with a pencil she repeatedly twirled around her fingers.

"Good morning" said Sig, his voice roughed from sleep.

"Hi" said Natalie softly. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure, but you didn't have very many food choices last night" said Sig. "But I'm up for more pasta."

Natalie gestured to the counter where a few boxes of food were stacked.

"When the hell did this get here?" asked Sig.

"It was delivered this morning" said Natalie.

"That was fast" said Sig.

"Not really you are just fifteen minutes away from saying good afternoon" said Natalie. "So do you want breakfast or lunch?"

"Breakfast, I'm starving" said Sig with a smirk.

Natalie moved to the fridge and pulled out a pound of bacon and a container of eggs. She pulled out a skillet soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of breakfast cooking. Fifteen minutes later they were sitting at her small table eating bacon, eggs and potatoes.

"This is delicious" said Sig.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

"What time did you get up?" asked Sig.

"Around 9, the food was delivered at 10:30 with a newspaper and I've been working on the crossword puzzle ever since" replied Natalie.

"Need some help?" asked Sig.

"Sure" said Natalie sliding the paper over to him.

She poked her yolks and carefully slid the perfect amount of each type of food onto each forkful. Sig found himself staring at her, completely forgetting the puzzle in his hands.

"Too hard for you?" asked Natalie shaking him from his appraisal of her breakfast eating.

"Yeah" said Sig.

"I'm surprised, I thought for sure you'd get at least the fishing ones" said Natalie snatching back the paper.

"What fishing ones?" questioned Sig.

"Too late" said Natalie bouncing off of her chair.

Sig scrambled after her and caught up to her in the foyer as she tried to dash up the stairs.

"You are way too fast" said Sig.

"Clearly not fast enough" said Natalie with a smile.

"Give me back the puzzle" said Sig.

"Here you go" said Natalie handing it back.

Sig walked back into the kitchen and settled into his seat. Natalie scooped up the plates and quickly washed them before pulling out her laptop and calendar. She and Sig worked in companionable silence until Sig triumphantly slammed the pencil down.

"Done" he said proudly.

"Great job" said Natalie.

"I can't remember the last time I've actually finished one of them" said Sig.

"Well that's great, although to be fair you really only had like six clues to work on" said Natalie.

Sig sat on the bed watching Natalie sort through her clothes. He had no idea how many clothes could fit into a suitcase but yet she just kept pulling stuff out. He'd followed her around the house for part of the afternoon before taking a nap on her plush couch while watching football. He wondered when she would take him home, he secretly hoped she would forget. The time with her in her house and together in Costa Rica seemed unreal. Once he left the house, the confines of her life, Sig wasn't sure he'd be invited back in.

"Hey, do you mind staying another night?" asked Natalie after she moved her suitcase into the closet.

"Sure, I'd love to" said Sig.

"Thanks, it's been exhausting today and I just want to cook a yummy dinner and watch some of my recorded shows" said Natalie.

"What if I erased them?" asked Sig nervously.

"Then I'll make you entertain me for the rest of the night" said Natalie.

Sig got up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalie.

"To erase your shows" called Sig.

Natalie chased him down the stairs showing him just how fast she could go. The night ended with them both falling asleep after a night of pleasure and trashy tv shows.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, please keep them coming.

Sig stood in the freezing wind waiting for Natalie to figure out which remote opened her garage door. She had been trying for almost five minutes and hadn't managed to open a single door. He'd suggested she just go through the house and open the garage, but Natalie had grumpily informed him that the garage was not attached to the house. Finally the garage door she was attempting to open started to raise, revealing a small car.

"Wow, that's tiny" said Sig.

"Don't worry it will get you there" said Natalie.

They moved into the garage and Natalie opened the trunk. Sig managed to squeeze his duffle bag into the trunk and stood outside contemplating how to fold himself into the passenger seat.

"This car looks familiar" said Sig.

"I'm sure it does, maybe if I was blasting rockets out of the front of the car or creating an oil slick for interfering tailgaters" said Natalie.

"James Bond, this car is his from his movie" said Sig.

"James Bond has had 20 movies, this is just a car from one" said Natalie smugly.

"You British know everything" said Sig.

"Yes, well, we're all given a James Bond class at university" said Natalie. "Just get in the car."

Sig slid in and Natalie started up the engine, revving it a few times before slamming the car into gear and tearing out of the driveway like it was a piece of the autobahn. Sig's hands went to the closest object and held on for dear life. He gave Natalie directions to his house and when she finally arrived he was incredibly relieved to pry his hands off the dashboard.

"I'm surprised you're not kissing the ground" said Natalie. "That's what Edgar did the first time he drove with me."

"You are a terrible driver" said Sig.

"Well to be fair I did learn to drive on the other side of the road, sometimes I get confused on which side I should pass on" said Natalie innocently.

"How long have you lived here?" asked Sig.

"Long enough to know better" said Natalie with a wink.

Sig took a few deep breaths hoping the nausea would settle before he walked into his house. He had no idea what the inside was going to look like. It had been months since he'd been home and he had no recollection of doing the dishes or taking out the trash before his last trip. He had kind of hoped Natalie would just drop him off but she was out of the car and seemed to be determined to see the inside of his house. She looked expectantly at him and Sig took a steadying breath and put the key in the lock. He gritted his teeth as he opened the door expecting the smell of rotting food to come wafting out. Instead the smell of lemon greeted him. He walked into the small entry way and paused. His house was spotless. He walked through to the kitchen, it was also spotless.

Natalie lingered behind him casually inspecting his decor. Sig dropped his keys on the dining room table and paused. There was a vase of fresh flowers and a note sitting in the middle of the bouquet. Sig was fairly sure there had never been fresh flowers or really flowers of any sort in his house before. Picking up the note he immediately recognized Antha's neat script.

_ Sig,_

_ Honestly, this house was an absolute wreck, do you not know how to do dishes except on a boat? But since I'm almost positive Natalie is with you I thought you'd like to impress her a little so I cleaned up. You owe me, BIG TIME! I expect payment in babysitting or diamonds, your choice. _

_ Love, _

_ Your Favorite Sister in Law._

Sig chuckled at the note before replacing it in the envelope and casually throwing it in the trash. No need to break the illusion that he was a tidy housekeeper. Natalie breezed through to the backyard and paused on the small deck. Sig joined her wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"You have a beautiful view" she said quietly.

"It is pretty" said Sig.

The pair could see the harbor and the Ballard Locks in the distance. Natalie imagined Sig coming out every morning and checking up on the Northwestern.

"Where's your boat?" she asked.

"Dutch Harbor" replied Sig. "We don't bring it back in between Red Crab and Opies."

"Aren't you worried about something happening to it while it's up there?" asked Natalie. "Who watches it? Do you have a boat sitter?"

"A boat sitter?" asked Sig incredulously.

"Yeah, someone who watches your boat while you are down here" said Natalie.

"No" said Sig. "The company we work for keeps an eye on it. It's perfectly safe up there, no one takes a fishing boat out for a joy ride."

Natalie looked unconvinced but let the subject drop. After a few minutes she shivered violently and turned to go inside.

"Lets light a fire" suggested Sig.

"I love fires" said Natalie.

Sig gave her a sideways look and raised his eyebrow in question.

"Not in a psychotic arsonist way, I like the way they sound and smell and feel" said Natalie. "Ok, that probably sounded a little psycho."

"It's fine" said Sig. "I'll just need to remember to lock up the matches and lighters."

"Speaking of lighters, when's the last time you had a cigarette?" asked Natalie.

"I had one..." began Sig.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd had one, probably at the campsite in Costa Rica.

"Weird" muttered Sig. "It's been a long time, days."

Natalie was going to say something but decided not to, it wasn't any of her business. Sig stared out the window for a long time lost in thought. Natalie took the moment to explore his kitchen cabinets for something to cook. The cabinets were pretty bare but the fridge was stocked with a few easy cook meals. She could tell they weren't Sig's recipes since the cooking instructions were written on sticky notes.

After a delicious meal of Chicken Kiev with mashed potatoes and salad, Sig and Natalie laid in front of a roaring fire in nothing but their birthday suits. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat on the floor next to them. Sig watched Natalie lay on her stomach staring into the crackling fire. Her body was backlit by the fire which seemed to make her curves ever more defined. He ran a hand over her back to the smooth curve of her ass. Natalie turned to look at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Like what?" asked Sig.

"I don't know how to explain it" said Natalie trying to pull the words she needed. "Kind of like you're hungry or something."

"Oh I'm hungry alright" said Sig inching towards her. "For you."

"My what big eyes you have" she said with a wink.

"That's not the only thing that's big" said Sig.

Natalie moved away slightly but Sig reached out and caught her ankle, pulling her back towards him.

"No escape this time" he said with a husky growl.

"Why would I want to escape?" asked Natalie.

Sig smiled before he dipped his head to capture Natalie's lips in a searing kiss. His hands roamed over her naked form as his mouth moved from her lips to her neck. Leaving series of small nips he moved down to her breasts. Laving her nipples he watched them harden.

"You are so hot" said Sig.

"Less talking more sucking" said Natalie.

Sig dutifully obliged and before long their moans rang out in the emptiness of the house.

The next morning Sig awoke to the sound of a cell phone ringing. He moved his arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the sun. He sighed in relief as the ringing stopped. Natalie's voice was muffled and distant. Sig pried his eyes open and scanned the room for her. He found her sitting next to his sliding door looking outside, she was quietly talking on the phone. He smirked when he saw she was wearing one of his jean button down shirts. He had no idea where she'd gotten it from, obviously she'd done some exploring while he'd been asleep. She hung up the phone and set it down next to her, never taking her eyes from the harbor below. Sig rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to see what she was looking at. Down below on the docks a boat was being loaded, a large crane was moving pallets from the dock to the deck. Sig quietly moved next to her.

"It reminds me of Richard Scary's Busy Town" said Natalie quietly.

"Hmm" replied Sig, unsure what she was referencing.

"It's a kids book" explained Natalie. "It doesn't really tell a story just labels everything going on in Busy Town. I imagine if they had a dock it would look like that."

"It's fun to watch" said Sig knowingly.

Natalie nodded but never took her eyes off the window. Sig sensed that she was deep in thought and decided to check on what supplies were available for breakfast.

"I'm going to make you something to eat" said Sig. "A Norwegian specialty. You'll love it."

"I hope it includes coffee" said Natalie.

"Of course" said Sig reaching for the grounds.

He got down to the business of breakfast while Natalie poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down on one of the kitchen stools to observe the proceedings. In less than ten minutes a delicious salmon scramble was set in front of her. Sig topped off her coffee and then slid into the stool next to her. There was silence for a few moments while the pair ate their meal. Once the immediate hunger was slacked the chewing slowed and they began to speak to each other.

"Who called this morning?" asked Sig.

"Sorry that woke you" said Natalie. "I thought the phone was on vibrate."

"Who called" repeated Sig.

"Your brother" said Natalie.

"Which one?" asked Sig.

"Edgar" replied Natalie. "Does Norman even talk on the phone? I imagine he would just expect you to see his name on the caller ID and talk to him without him have to say a word."

"Funny" said Sig. "I'll tell him you said that when I see him."

"You do that" said Natalie.

"What did Edgar want?" asked Sig.

"His back is hurting, he wanted to know if I was home yet" said Natalie.

"I guess I should call him to tell him I'm back" mused Sig.

"He probably already knows" said Natalie.

"Did you tell him?" asked Sig.

"No, he just wondered if I could see him today for a treatment" said Natalie. "I said yes and that was pretty much the end of the conversation."

"No meaningful heart to heart talk about life?" teased Sig.

Natalie just looked at him in confusion and went back to her breakfast.

A few hours later Natalie pulled into Edgar and Antha's driveway. She'd picked up some medicine from home and her massage table. Edgar had seemed rather desperate when they'd spoken on the phone and she didn't want to make him wait. If the injury was getting worse she worried she wouldn't be able to offer the relief he needed. The next step would be surgery. Grabbing her stuff out of the car she made it half way to the door before it opened and Erik came bounding out. She set down her table and bag and caught him in a sweeping hug.

"Hi" she said as Erik peppered her with kisses.

"I missed you" he said into her hair.

"I missed you too" replied Natalie hugging him tighter.

"Mommy and daddy have been yelling" he confided.

Natalie wondered what the cause of the argument was but chose not to ask the child in her arms.

"Well even if they are yelling, they still love each other and you" said Natalie, her voice soft.

She felt Erik nod a few times and then she released him. Once he was back on the ground he darted back to the house. Natalie picked up her stuff and followed. It was strangely quiet inside and she wondered if everyone was asleep. She found Edgar's prone form on the floor his feet propped on a few pillows his eyes squeezed shut.

"Hi" said Natalie quietly.

Edgar's eyes snapped open and looked around wildly for a moment before they focused.

"Are you ok?" asked Natalie kneeling down next to him.

"No, my back is killing me" said Edgar.

Natalie raised and eyebrow and reached into her bag to get a small penlight. She shined it into his eyes noticing that his pupils were huge.

"What are you on right now?" she asked.

"Vicodin" said Edgar. "Antha had it left over from the hospital, I had to take something for the pain."

"How many have you taken?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know" replied Edgar sullenly. "Not enough because I'm still hurting."

"Where is Antha?" asked Natalie.

"Probably trying to get Diana to take a nap, she's teething or something" said Edgar.

"Lets get you settled and then I'll go check on your wife" said Natalie.

She hoisted Edgar off the floor and onto the massage table. She quickly saw that his back was completely out of alignment and that the bulging disc was worse than ever. After adjusting his back she massaged him with a warming liniment before laying a few hot towels over him.

"I don't think the vicodin is helping because you've re-injured your back" said Natalie. "What happened?"

Edgar mumbled into the towel around his face.

"I didn't catch that" said Natalie.

"I was trying to help Antha around the house, she's really tired" said Edgar.

"I thought maybe it's some sort of sexual position mishap" said Natalie.

"I wish" said Edgar. "No, actually I don't. This pain is ridiculous enough."

"Stay here for a few minutes and let the oils do their work" said Natalie. "I'm going to cover you with a blanket to keep you warm and then I'm going to check on Antha."

Natalie walked down the hallway surprised by the sheer quiet of the back of the house. She'd been to the Hansen house many times and had always heard the tinkle of laughter or the strains of music that seemed to be constantly playing. Today there was nothing. She walked past Erik's door and glanced in. He was playing silently on the floor of his room, the blinds were closed and the room was dark. She wondered how he was even able to see the blocks he was using. He smiled at her and gave her a silent wave. Arriving at the baby's nursery she found it empty. Moving on she quietly opened the door to the master bedroom. Antha was asleep on the bed with baby Diana in her arms. Natalie walked into the bedroom, it was a mess. Clothes were everywhere, dirty diapers littered the floor and full plates of food were stacked on every flat surface. Flies buzzed over the uneaten food and Natalie decided that was where she would start. She pulled the first few plates of food off the dresser and realized this clean up would require multiple trips. She was about to walk out the door when a sleepy voice called her back.

"Stop cleaning up" said Antha, her eyes still closed.

"Antha, are you ok?" asked Natalie. "Do you want me to take the baby?"

"Take her" said Antha rolling away from Diana.

Natalie almost dropped the plates in an effort to catch the baby before Antha's motion forced her off the bed. Luckily a pillow poised on the edge prevented little Diana from tumbling over the side. Natalie set the plates on the floor and picked up Diana's sleeping form. The baby's eyes fluttered open and Natalie quickly dashed out of the room just incase she started crying. The baby however was still tired and easily fell back to sleep. Natalie gently laid her in the crib before turning around to head out the door. She stopped short as Erik walked into the room. He held his fingers to his lips and walked slowly over to the crib. He watched baby Diana sleep for a minute before turning and walking back to his room. Natalie followed him into his room and closed the door.

"What's going on?" asked Natalie.

"Shh, baby Diana is sleeping" said Erik in a whisper.

"It's ok, her door is closed" said Natalie reassuringly.

"No" said Erik emphatically. "We have to stay quiet, always quiet."

"Sure" said Natalie. "We can play when she wakes up."

"Mommy doesn't like it when she's awake" said Erik. "She cries all the time."

Natalie didn't know what to say. She desperately wanted to ask Erik more questions but the little boy seemed desperate to keep quiet.

"I'm going to clean up some of the dishes in mommy's room" said Natalie.

"She doesn't care" said Erik honestly.

"I know, but it will make my feel like I'm helping" said Natalie. "I like to help."

"Make sure you be quiet" said Erik.

Natalie nodded and closed the door.

Natalie reentered the master bedroom and quickly picked up the plates she'd set down in order to take Diana. She quietly slid the trash can over and started to scrape the uneaten food into it before stacking the plates on the floor. She'd cleared off most of the plate before she heard Antha stirring. Antha's hand reached out to feel for the baby, when she didn't find her she immediately sat up.

"It's ok" said Natalie. "She's sleeping in her crib."

"She never sleeps in there" said Antha.

"Sorry, do you want her back in here?" asked Natalie.

"No!" said Antha. "It's just she never really sleeps in there, she's always crying. She only seems to sleep well with me."

"She's ok for now" said Natalie. "Why don't you go back to sleep, if she wakes up I'll take care of her."

"Ok" said Antha closing her eyes.

Natalie went back to work. She finished stacking the plates and then worked on cleaning up the dirty diapers. Stacking a huge load of clothes into a laundry basket she balanced the dirty plates on top and headed down the hall. She left the dishes on the kitchen table and headed to start a load of laundry. It took Natalie almost an hour to get the bedroom clean. It needed a good vacuuming but that would disturb both Antha and probably Diana so she refrained. She backed out of the room and carefully closed the door. She peaked in on baby Diana and saw that she was still fast asleep. Edgar was snoring on the massage table which probably wasn't ideal for his back but Natalie decided it was fine to leave him. Loading the dishwasher and changing the laundry occupied most of the next hour and before she knew it baby Diana was starting to stir. The moment the baby let out her first real cry everyone was out of their rooms. Antha stood in the doorway looking slightly disheveled and very disoriented. Edgar was struggling to get off the massage table and Erik just stood in the hallway looking slightly shellshocked. Natalie breezed by all of them and plucked Diana from her crib, changed her diaper and took her back into the kitchen with her.

"She's in good hands" called Natalie from the kitchen. "Why don't you all go back to what you were doing."

Antha retreated back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Edgar retrieved a shirt from the pile of clean clothes and went in to play with Erik. The boys emerged a few minutes later dressed for the drizzly afternoon and disappeared into the backyard. Natalie turned to Diana and smiled.

"Well my dear, it's just the two of us. How about you get your first lesson in cooking."

Natalie found an baby wrap and quickly tied Diana to her body. The baby cooed happily as Natalie narrated her movements, explaining every step she was taking in great detail. Eventually Diana got hungry and Natalie found herself hesitant to wake up Antha.

"What are you eating these days little darling?" asked Natalie.

Diana let out a small cry as her answer. Deciding she'd have to ask, Natalie headed to the bedroom.

The sound of a blow dryer met Natalie's ear as she knocked on the closed bedroom door. She received no answer so she cracked it open and peeked in. Antha was wearing a bathrobe blowing out her hair in the bathroom. She was freshly shower and seemed alert. Natalie pushed the door open further and stepped into the room. Antha noticed the movement and shut off the dryer before turning to face Natalie.

"Is everything ok?" asked Antha.

"Yes, I was just wondering how you were feeding Diana these days" said Natalie.

"Oh, nursing" said Antha. "She must be starving."

"She just started to fuss a little and I thought maybe she was a bit peckish" said Natalie with a smile.

Antha reached out and took the baby from Natalie's arms. Diana immediately began rooting. Antha sat down on the bed and hunched over slightly as she worked to get the baby to latch.

"Stop" said Natalie. "You are going to destroy your back."

Before Antha could respond Natalie moved her back against the headboard and propped a few pillows behind her, then added a pillow under her elbow. Antha let out a sigh of relief and leaned back to feed the baby. Diana immediately latched and began happily eating.

"Please tell me you haven't been sitting like that at every feeding" said Natalie.

"No" replied Antha. "Usually I'm laying down, since she's basically sleeping with me and all I'm doing is feeding her and sleeping."

"But you cleaned Sig's house" said Natalie.

"It was the first time I've really gotten out of the house on my own" said Antha. "I was just going to send Edgar by and make sure the place hadn't burned down. But he made me go."

"Made you go?" said Natalie in confusion. "Like forced you."

"Yes, I haven't been doing very well" confessed Antha.

"What's been going on?" asked Natalie her voice laced with concern.

"It's just" began Antha. "It's a lot harder than I expected it to be. Taking care of two small children all on my own, it's overwhelming."

"Have you talked to Edgar about it?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" said Antha. "He's been trying to help me but sometimes I think he just makes it harder. Then he hurt his back and now it's like I have three kids."

"Well, maybe you should get some help" said Natalie.

"Like who?" said Antha. "I don't want some stranger coming in to my house."

"I could come over and help" said Natalie.

"Thanks" said Antha quietly. "But I want Edgar."

"I understand" said Natalie.

She pulled Antha into an awkward sideways hug, in response the flood gates opened and Antha sobbed into Natalie's shoulder while baby Diana finished her meal.


	31. Chapter 31

A crisp wind blew through the wooded backyard causing needles to fall from the surrounding trees. Natalie drew her coat around her tighter and double checked that Erik was still wearing his scarf. They'd been playing in the backyard for the past hour and while Natalie felt like she was chilled to the bone, Erik showed no signs of discomfort. Diana was sleeping in her stroller a few feet away bundled up in heavy blankets. Edgar and Antha were in the house, hopefully talking or resting. Natalie had insisted on taking the kids for a walk and giving the couple a little time on their own.

"Natalie, I found a pine cone" announced Erik.

"Great, why don't we collect a bunch and we can make wreath with them for your mum" said Natalie.

"Are you going to be here for Christmas?" asked Erik.

"Yes, I'll be here" said Natalie. "Will you?"

Erik just looked at her quizzically and went back to collecting his treasures. Natalie just chuckled to herself and walked over to check on Diana. The baby was awake and looking around at her change of scenery. Deciding that it was the perfect time for a walk she called Erik over and they took a stroll around the neighborhood. Baby Diana cooed happily as she looked at her new surroundings. Erik commented on the Christmas decorations that adorned the neighborhood. As dusk began to fall Natalie turned their little parade around and as they passed by the houses the Christmas lights were turned on and little animation pieces came to life. The walk back took a lot longer because Erik insisted on studying each houses set up. When they finally returned Natalie noticed there was a new car in the driveway.

"Uncle Sig is here" announced Erik as he tore off towards his house.

"Watch the driveways" yelled Natalie.

Erik slowed to a trot and skirted the edge of the driveway before disappearing into the house. Natalie followed after him pushing Diana over the threshold and into the house, still in her stroller.

Sig was almost tackled by his nephew as he pulled a soda out of the fridge. He set the can on the counter and pulled his nephew into a fierce hug. Erik gripped Sig's neck and dropped his head to his shoulder. In a moment his eyes were drifting closed and in the next he was fast asleep. Natalie appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later carrying his baby niece.

"Hi" she said quietly.

"What did you do to him?" asked Sig.

"Drugged him with fresh air" said Natalie with a smile. "Why don't you lay him down on the couch and take Diana so I can finish making dinner."

"Sure, whatever I can do to help" said Sig.

Sig laid Erik down on the couch and his eyes didn't even flutter. With Diana in his arms he helped keep Natalie company in the kitchen.

"How's Edgar's back?" asked Sig.

"Not good" said Natalie. "But he's not my biggest concern."

"What do you mean?" asked Sig.

"Antha is really struggling" said Natalie. "She needs more help and she wants Edgar to help her."

Sig looked down at the baby in his arms and then over his shoulder to the sleeping boy on the couch. He had no idea how much work was involved in carrying for children and keeping up a house. His mother had done it and while it seemed like she was completely able to handle whatever devilish things he and his brothers got up to, he wasn't really able to recall how. Edgar had already told him he didn't plan to keep fishing forever and Sig supposed this was as good a time as any to let him retire. Then selfish Sig took over informing him that it wasn't fair that Edgar would get to live off the boats profits while he and Norman continued to risk their lives each season. Natalie stared at Sig's changing expression, wondering what thoughts were flickering through his mind. Deciding it wasn't her place to ask she focused on getting dinner on the table.

Spilling the pasta into a large serving dish Natalie ladled the sauce over the top and then added the cheese. Sig managed to set the table using his free hand and then went to find Edgar and Antha. He returned a few minutes later blushing beet red. Natalie was about to ask him if he was ok when a glowing Antha waltzed into the room.

"What a diverence a nap makes" commented Natalie.

"Thanks, you are an absolute lifesaver" said Antha.

"Anytime" said Natalie, giving her friend a hug.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" asked Natalie.

"Just a small one" said Antha. "And not until after I nurse Di."

"Not a problem" said Natalie.

Edgar walked into the room and gingerly removed Diana from Sig's arms. He gave the little girl a gentle snuggle and then settled her into the crook of his arm.

"Are you sure it's safe to hold her like that?" asked Sig.

"Trust me, she's tucked in tight" said Edgar.

"He carries her around like that all the time" said Antha.

"Yep, I can even fold a load of laundry holding her like this" boasted Edgar.

"I can't imagine that the corners are all squared" quipped Natalie.

"What's a squared corner?" asked Edgar.

"You just proved my point" said Natalie.

Antha piled her plate with food and made one for Edgar and another for Erik who was just rousing from his nap. Sig and Natalie took their seats and served their own plates. Edgar poured the wine and then sat down with Diana still in his arms.

"Let's say grace" said Edgar.

Everyone bowed their heads and Edgar said the short prayer. Once the last word left his mouth everyone started eating.

"This is yummy" said Erik.

"Use your napkin sweetie" said Antha.

Edgar looked at her for a moment and the smiled wide.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Antha.

"Because, you haven't called him sweetie since I got home" said Edgar.

"I guess I'm feeling better" said Antha.

Natalie gave Sig a pointed look before taking a sip of her wine. Sig gave her a quizzical look before going back to eating. The rest of the meal passed with small talk and fussing over baby Diana.

Later that night Natalie and Antha sat out on the back porch huddled near a heater. Antha held a glass of wine in her hand as did Natalie, they were both yawning more than they were drinking.

"Thanks again for all the help with the kids" said Antha.

"Of course, I love those little angels" said Natalie.

"They are always angels for you, it seems they are the exact opposite for me" said Antha.

"It must be overwhelming" said Natalie. "I can't imagine how hard you have to work every day."

"I've been getting a lot of job offers and I can't take any of them because I can't get ten minutes to take a shower much less the hours I need to actually edit something" ranted Antha.

Natalie took a sip of her wine and encouraged Antha to do the same.

"I'll be honest, I think you need to go back to work" said Natalie seriously. "If you need Edgar to stay home then you have to tell him."

"The thing is, it's not the money, it's the pride" began Antha. "He doesn't want to let his family down. He wants to show he can pull his own for the family business. No matter what the cost."

Natalie pulled Antha onto her lap causing the wine glass to tumble out of her hand. Antha bent to pick it up.

"Leave it" said Natalie.

Antha dropped her head onto Natalie's shoulder and cried in great heaving sobs.

"Sometimes, I think I made a mistake" mumbled Antha into her shoulder. "I should have been more clear that I wanted to see each other on a daily basis. Not this few weeks between fishing seasons bullshit."

"Then tell him" said Natalie. "He does have two ears, they both work."

"I don't want to be the reason for a fight between brothers" said Antha.

"You come first to him, you and Erik and Diana. You are his family" said Natalie. "When he made his vows to you he promised you'd come first."

"I just don't want to cause problems" said Antha with a sniffle.

"You won't" came Edgar's voice from the doorway.

The girls hadn't even heard it open. Antha moved off of Natalie's lap and into Edgar's outstretched arms.

"We'll make it work" said Edgar. "I promise, you always come first."

"I don't want Sig to hate me" blubbered Antha.

"He won't" said Edgar. "If anything he'll hate me, but you are my family, you and the kids are my priority."

"Why don't you talk to him about it somewhere neutral" suggested Natalie. "You can use my house. Antha, you can come early and bring the kids if you want. I can make room so everyone can spend the night."

"That's really generous of you" said Edgar. "It will probably work out best if the kids are out of earshot."

"Consider it done" said Natalie. "When do you want to do it?"

"Sooner the better" said Edgar. "Sig, will have to hire another guy."

Antha looked away, more tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"I'm going to give the kids one last kiss and then I'm going to head home" said Natalie. "I'll make sure to take Sig with me."

"Thanks" said Edgar.

Natalie gave Antha a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She patted Edgar's shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving.

A few days later Natalie flitted around her house like a doting housewife. She was wearing an apron, her hair in a tight ponytail and her cheeks dusted with flour. The house was cleaned and prepped for the big sit down. She'd set up a playroom/nursery on the far end of the house. Edgar had decided to tell the whole Northwestern crew at once. Natalie had bedrooms set up for everyone in the expectation that discussions would last late into the night. In order to keep everyone talking Natalie had a full selection of food and drinks available. She knew no one would go hungry or thirsty during the meeting. She wasn't sure how long it was going to take. Edgar had already mentioned there would be yelling which lead Natalie to wonder if the brothers would come to blows. Thinking on it she decided to put away some of her more valuable items. She was just setting a vase of flowers on the table when the doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath she brushed a few hairs out of her face and went to answer the door.

"Hi" said Natalie as Erik wrapped his arms around her legs.

"Thanks for doing this" said Edgar from behind Antha.

"Of course, anything to help my friends" said Natalie.

She ushered the family into the house and immediately plucked Diana from Antha's tired arms.

"Erik, I got some new stuffs and set up a special toy room for you" said Natalie with a playful smile.

"Can I see?" asked Erik.

"Of course" said Natalie. "Lets go now."

"Can I?" asked Erik to his mother.

"Yep, have a good time" said Antha gratefully.

"Why don't I get Diana settled, she looks ready for a nap" suggested Natalie.

"She needs one, desperately" said Antha.

"There's some snacks in the living room and drinks in the kitchen" said Natalie over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hallway.

Natalie found Edgar and Antha cuddled on the couch when she returned from the playroom. She set down a video monitor in front of Antha who gawked at it for a moment before smiling.

"Just in case we don't hear her" explained Natalie.

"What is she sleeping in?" asked Edgar.

"It's a rocking mini crib" said Natalie defensively. "It came highly recommended."

"It's really cool" said Edgar.

"Is Erik having fun in the playroom?" asked Antha.

"Yep, he has a new train table to play with" said Natalie.

"I've got to check it out" announced Edgar.

"It's down the hall" said Natalie.

"I'll find it" said Edgar as he bounded down the hallway.

"We're never going to see him until the guys arrive" said Antha with a smile. "He loves trains, I think he likes them better than Erik."

"Just a big kid at heart" said Natalie.

"It's been really nice having him home" said Antha quietly.

"Well it seems like you're going to have him home a lot more now" said Natalie.

"I hope so" said Antha. "We've talked about me taking more jobs, I think with the help I'll be able to take a few smaller ones to start that then more as the kids get older."

"Are you guys going to move?" asked Natalie.

"We shouldn't have to, I mean I did most of my work from home before anyway" said Antha. "I mean we could, I'm just renting my house in LA. But I think Edgar wants to be here, close to family."

"Of course" said Natalie. "I'd be sad if you took my little buddy Erik so far away."

"He'd miss you too" said Antha. "He missed you while you and Edgar were up north. Asked about you almost as much as he asked for daddy."

"You're sweet" said Natalie.

"It's true" said Antha. "I missed everyone. It's hard being apart. Like part of my soul was missing."

"I can't imagine how hard it is" said Natalie sympathetically.

"The worst part, is that I know what he's doing. How he's risking his life. How at any moment something terribly could happen and he wouldn't be coming home" said Antha, her eyes filling with tears.

Natalie sat back and listened. She couldn't think of anything to say. The doorbell rang and Natalie got up quickly to answer it.

Jake and Nick were the first to arrive. They both marveled at how well Natalie was looking. She gave them a quick tour and they both disappeared into the playroom to play with Erik. A few minutes later Sig arrived. He didn't even bother knocking, merely opened the door, walked through to the kitchen, and helped himself to a beer before finding Antha and Natalie in the living room.

"Ah, here are the co-conspirators" said Sig.

Antha smiled and Natalie got up and Sig swept her into his arms, giving her a searing kiss. Antha smirked at their brief exchange, wondering if perhaps she wouldn't be a lone wife for long.

"Get a room" muttered Edgar from the doorway.

"I know where one's available" said Natalie with a smirk.

Sig turned and clapped his brother in a hug. Before noticing Jake and Nick standing behind him. Greetings were exchanged before the doorbell rang again. Natalie admitted Norman and Matt, steering both into the living room.

"Hey" said Sig. "Grab a beer."

"Thanks man" said Matt. "Is this your new house?"

"No, it's Natalie's" said Sig.

"This place is amazing" said Matt. "When's the tour?"

"I guess it could be right now" offered Natalie. "Follow me."

Natalie took them through the house, pointing out the rooms that the guys could use if they chose to spend the night. Each bed had a pair of new pajamas laid on them, because while Natalie had room for everyone, she had failed to mention such arrangements to Sig. The group finished out the tour back in the living room, where Natalie insisted on getting everyone something to drink before disappearing into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. Antha was tempted to join her but then decided to stay with Edgar just in case he needed some encouragement.

The discussion began over dinner, Edgar announced his intentions and the whole room erupted. Natalie sat at the kitchen island listening to the whole conversation, when she leaned forward she could see the guys sitting around the table. At one point she thought about going in to take away the plates and offer something else to drink but when the voices got loud she changed her mind. Antha walked in holding the monitor and said she was going to get the kids changed for bed. Natalie nodded in response, deciding she would stay just incase someone got out of hand. A few minutes later Sig was yelling at the top of his lungs. Deciding this was the type of out of hand behavior that needed an intervention, she got up and entered the fray.

"Gentlemen" said Natalie as she walked into the room. "As many of you don't know I'm british and we have an after dinner tradition."

She was holding a large leather box which she promptly set on the table. The men stared at her, completely confused at why she was there and what she was talking about.

"Open it" she said, motioning to the box.

Nick reached forward and tipped the box open. Inside were rows of cigars. Natalie tossed a torch lighter and cigar cutter on the table.

"The only thing I ask is that you enjoy them outside on the patio" she said.

The guys looked dubiously out the windows.

"Don't worry it's heated" said Natalie assuredly.

She started setting out brandy and port glasses. The guys decided on brandy and she handed them each a cut crystal snifter before they headed outside. Antha arrived a moment later with a sleepy Erik in tow. The guys all wished him goodnight before Antha led him back to his room. Natalie followed her to help settling the baby down for the night. The girls returned to the kitchen, poured themselves a large glass of wine and headed outside.

The patio was basically a glassed in porch, there was a complicated air filtration system that could heat and cool the air as needed while at the same time keeping it smelling fresh. Natalie's father loved cigars and she always hated when he'd smoke them in the house, so the patio was built to appease them both. The crew eagerly cut and lit their cigars, settling into the comfortable chairs and putting their feet up on the table. Natalie and Antha arrived a few minutes later holding glasses of wine.

"Bug, this place is awesome" said Matt. "Who's is it?"

"It's mine" said Natalie simply.

"This is your house?" said Jake in surprise. "It's like a mansion."

"It's her house, lets move on" said Sig.

Natalie glanced at Sig across the table, he seemed nervous and angry. Jake settled into his seat, taking a large swig of his brandy.

"Let's cut the crap" began Sig. "The bottom line is that Edgar doesn't want to come back next season. I don't have enough time to find another person, so as of now we will have to work a four man deck. We've done it before and can do it again."

"Sig, seriously" said Nick. "We are all a lot older than when we did that for a whole season, it's different. We need a fifth man."

"I'm not going to hire some idiot off the dock" said Sig.

"Then don't" said Matt. "We already have someone who can do it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Sig angrily.

"Bug" said Matt simply. "She was awesome on the boat, she could do it again."

"Why would she want to work for Edgar?" asked Sig.

"I don't need money" said Edgar. "Seriously, I just want my owners cut, that's it."

"Bug, would you do it?" asked Norman.

Natalie was caught off guard. She took a sip of her wine while she thought. Her eyes slipped over to where Edgar and Antha were sitting together. Antha's eyes pleaded with her, desperately hoping she'd say yes. Her mind thought back to her near death experience on the boat, the stabbing, the starvation and how Sig had treated her. She thought for a few moments more and decided that it was an emergency and she was never one to shy away from one of those.

"Sure" said Natalie.

A cheer went up from the crew, Edgar tipped her back and gave her a huge kiss on the lips. Then Jake danced her around the room, before passing her off to Nick and then Matt. Norman gave her a small hug.

"This party needs a more celebratory beverage" said Natalie. "Be right back."

She disappeared into the house and returned a few minutes later carrying a tray of champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne.

"Sig, will you do the honors?" asked Natalie.

"Of course" said Sig.

He plucked the bottle off the tray and studied it for a moment. He read and re-read the label a few times before breaking into a smile.

"Isn't this what James Bond drinks?" asked Sig with a smirk.

"The very same" said Natalie. "Every British citizen gets sent a case once a year, compliments of the Queen."

"I can't believe you're British" said Jake.

"Yes she is, you should hear her accent" said Sig.

"She doesn't have an accent" argued Matt.

"Oh she does" said Sig.

He launched into his Costa Rica adventure sparing no detail from the story. Natalie took the bottle from his hands and deftly opened it. She poured out the bubbly and then passed it out. Just before Sig could discuss their adventure into the rainforest she broke in.

"A toast" she announced. "To a successful season where everyone catches crabs."

Everyone erupted into hysterical laughter, immediately breaking the tension and making Sig forget what he was saying. A while later Natalie collected the glasses and headed into the house. The rest of the guys followed her and they settled for drinking and laughing in front of the TV. Eventually Natalie showed the guys to their bedrooms, making sure they knew where the bathrooms were and setting a bottle of water and a small pack of ibuprofen on the nightstand.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I've literally written this chapter 10 times. I'm suffering from some severe writers confusion/block. I can't guarantee I've made the right choice in how this chapter is done but it is what it is. Thank you all for your patience.

The sound of a flushing toilet woke Natalie from her slumber. It was disorienting and it took her a few minutes to realize that she was in her own house. She looked over at Sig, who's head was buried under the pillow. Smirking to herself she carefully eased herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. A moment later and a flush of her own she was headed downstairs. She entered the kitchen and found Jake Anderson staring blankly at her coffee machine.

"Good morning" she said, her voice still husky from sleep.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Jake asked.

"No" lied Natalie. "I was getting up to make some coffee."

"I would have done it but I think you need a college degree to get this thing started" said Jake.

"It uses these special coffee inserts" said Natalie opening the drawer under the coffee maker. "Pick a flavor."

Jake selected one and Natalie loaded it into the machine. A moment later she and Jake were both holding steaming mugs of coffee.

"Your house is beautiful" said Jake.

"Thank you" said Natalie.

"I can't believe you are going to come back up for another season" said Jake suddenly.

"Me neither" said Natalie.

"I hope you don't have second thoughts" said Jake. "We trust you."

Natalie gave Jake a crooked smile and returned her attention to her coffee. The patter of small feet drew the attention of the kitchen duo towards the hallway. Erik appeared in the doorway looking slightly dazed. He walked over to Natalie and thrust his arms into the air. She dutifully picked him up and started walking towards the fridge to get him something to eat. Jake signaled for her to sit down.

"Hey buddy, want some milk?" asked Jake.

Erik just nodded grabbing Natalie tighter. Jake poured a glass of milk and placed it in front of the little boy. Erik took a few sips and began to wake up.

"I think there is some special cereal in the pantry" said Natalie.

"What kind?" asked Erik.

"Maybe Jake will get it for us" said Natalie with a smile.

Jake took the hint and pulled two boxes of cereal from the pantry.

"I love Lucky Charms" confessed Natalie.

"They are magically delicious" said Jake.

Natalie and Jake both started laughing. Erik just watched them in confusion and eventually wriggled off of Natalie's lap and headed back towards the playroom.

"I guess he wasn't hungry" said Natalie rubbing her eyes.

"Well he might not be, but I am" said Jake.

Natalie poured out two bowls of cereal and they both ate, giggling at each other.

Sig roused himself from sleep as the call of nature was becoming painful. He slipped into a robe and went to the bathroom. As he walked towards the stairs he was joined by Nick and Matt, both guys looking slightly worse for wear. As they reached the kitchen the smell of bacon and the sound of laughter greeted them. Jake and Edgar were cooking while Natalie and Antha sat at the table drinking their coffee.

"Morning all" said Sig.

"Hi" said Natalie with a smile.

"Who's missing?" asked Matt.

"Just Norman" said Antha.

"What a punk, he should be down here making breakfast" said Sig.

"Oh yeah, I can see that's why you came down" snorted Natalie.

"Don't start" Said Sig with a smile.

"I'll go get him" said Natalie. "But I want pancakes when I get back."

"Take your time then" said Nick.

Natalie waved her hand over her head in response and went up to see how Norman was doing. The moment she was out of earshot the comments began.

"What did you do to her to make her agree to go out again?" asked Matt.

"No joke, you must have some serious sway over her" said Nick.

The questions were all directed to Edgar and Antha. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment before Edgar answered.

"We didn't ask her to do it" he explained. "She volunteered all on her own."

"She almost died" said Jake.

"Well lets make sure that doesn't happen again" said Sig quickly.

Natalie padded quietly into Norman's room. The curtains were slightly open and a small shaft of light fell across the slowly rising chest of the bed's only inhabitant. Natalie hesitated for a moment but then decided to approach the bed. She sat lightly on the side closest to Norman's head. His face was turned towards her and in that moment he was completely peaceful, the frown lines had disappeared and he had a hint of a smile graced his mouth. She imagined he was having a nice dream and decided to draw the curtains closed. She moved to get up and felt a hand on her arm.

"Some people would think it was creepy to have someone watch them sleep" said Norman, his eyes still closed.

"I didn't mean to wake you" said Natalie. "How did you even know I was here?"

"Your smell" said Norman.

Natalie thought about doing a quick pit check but Norman continued his explanation.

"I think it's the shampoo or something, it smells like lemons" said Norman.

"Oh" said Natalie.

"Did you need something?" asked Norman sitting up in the bed.

"No, Sig wanted to know where you were" said Natalie. "Everyone is downstairs making breakfast."

"Do they need help of something?" asked Norman.

"I kind of doubt it, if 5 guys and a girl can't make breakfast then we should probably just order out" said Natalie with a smile.

"Good, I'm going back to sleep" said Norman.

"Um, I think I'm still suppose to bring you downstairs" said Natalie.

"Then you better start dragging because I'm not getting out of this bed voluntarily" said Norman scooting lower on the bed.

"You want me to drag you out of bed?" asked Natalie.

"No. I want you to let me go back to sleep. But if you insist on getting me up, you'll have to do it without my cooperation" said Norman.

"Hmm" said Natalie.

She thought for a moment and then reached out and grabbed the corner of the duvet. She gave it an experimental tug causing Norman to clutch it tighter. She dropped that idea and walked around to the other side of the bed and instead of pulling the blanket off she just lifted it up and climbed into the bed.

"What are you doing?" asked Norman, his voice raising in alarm.

"Just getting comfortable" said Natalie closing her eyes.

"You can't be in here" said Norman.

"Why not?" asked Natalie innocently. "It's technically my bed."

"Sig will cut off my balls if he finds you in bed with me" said Norman.

He gave Natalie a little shove, trying to scoot her off the bed.

"Norman, don't touch me there" said Natalie, raising her voice.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" asked Norman in a whisper.

"I think I hear someone coming up the stairs" said Natalie.

Norman jumped out of the bed and headed out of the door. Natalie's peals of laughter followed him downstairs.

Hours later Natalie was alone in her house. Sig had been the last to leave, promising to call her later. The quietness of the house was suddenly oppressive. Natalie walked through the sliding door onto the patio. Sitting down in one of the chairs she tucked her feet under her and looked out into the woods. She'd always loved the wildness, but today it felt dark and scary. Glancing at the sky she could see that snow was probably in the forecast. Her finger traced a random pattern on the arm of the chair as her mind churned through the events of the last twenty four hours. The sound of the phone shook her from her thoughts, sighing she got up and headed back inside. The message machine picked up before she reached the phone and Natalie stood listening to Sig's voice.

"Hey, Natalie. I hope you are taking a nap or something. Anyway we're leaving for Norway in a couple days, for Christmas. We go every year, I'm sure Antha told you. We'll be back in time for New Year's. Call me."

Natalie shrugged her shoulders at the message and picked up the phone. Before she had a chance to dial she heard the doorbell. Setting down the receiver she went to answer it.

Sitting on her doorstep was a large package. Natalie wasted no time hauling it into her house and opening it. The moment she saw the card on top she knew it was a Christmas gift from her mother, the handwriting was unmistakable. With a groan she carried the box into the study and set it down on the table. Taking her place on the couch she stared at the package for almost an hour, her mind seesawing back and forth between opening it and just chucking it out with the garbage. She sighed angrily at herself and pulled the box toward her. Pulling apart the stuffing she pulled a variety of parcels out and set them on the table. A card accompanied the little packages and Natalie held it in her hand for a long time before she opened it. The card was beautifully hand painted and on the inside her mother's impeccable script wrote a generic Christmas message. Natalie sighed quietly and set the card aside. She'd assumed that her mother would have a bit more to say then just "Happy Christmas" but whatever. Opening the first package, revealed a beautiful woolen scarf and a note.

"_Dear Sis, Hopes this keeps you warm. See you in the spring. Love, James."_

Natalie held the scarf to her cheek reveling in the softness. Smiling she picked up the next gift, which was a lovely set of cashmere sweaters from Harvey Nicks. Not surprisingly there was also another note, this time from her mother.

"_Dearest Natalie, Please keep yourself safe. Always in my thoughts, Mother."_

Setting the box and card aside she picked up the next box, it was surprisingly heavy. The card was written in a messy scrawl that could only be from her dad. Pulling the paper out from around the edges it slowly revealed a panini press. Natalie smiled broadly and pulled the piece of machinery out before scampering into the kitchen to try it out.

Sig threw a couple of pairs of long underwear into his open suitcase. He thought of calling Natalie again. Picking up his phone he started to turn it on, only to find it was out of battery. Sighing he plugged it into the wall and went back to packing. Hours later he heard the bell ring and sprinted to the door. Throwing it open his face fell as he saw Norman.

"Well, that's a nice way of greeting your brother" said Norman as he pushed past Sig into the warmth of the house.

"I thought you might be Natalie" said Sig closing the door.

"Is she coming with us?" asked Norman.

"I didn't have a chance to invite her" said Sig.

"Too bad" said Norman. "Antha would have loved to have her there."

"It's too late now" said Sig.

"It's never too late" said Norman.

"I need to finish packing" said Sig.

He disappeared upstairs and Norman made his way to the kitchen to find something to drink. He found a soda and got settled on the couch to catch up on some TV. The bell rang again a few hours later signaling the arrival of the shuttle to the airport. Sig did a quick check to see if he had his passport, tickets and wallet. He'd almost walked out the door without his cell. Grabbing it off the bureau he dashed out the door, barely taking time to lock it.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews. I'm thrilled that people have kept interest in the story even though the updates have been so sporadic. I hope to be better at that this year.

Natalie walked through her house slowly turning the lights off. She'd spent the day making a few phone calls and shopping for gifts for her family. On the small table in the living room sat a stack of merrily wrapped presents for Sig, Edgar and the rest of the Northwestern's crew members and their families. Flipping the lights off downstairs she walked up into the darkened second story. Her feet slid over the carpet as she listened to the absolute silence of the house. Sighing she walked into her bathroom and started to run a bath. Natalie loved time by herself, it's why she moved to Washington, why she moved into this community and why she worked for herself. Solitude was something she cherished, yet for some reason today she felt lonely. Drawing her hand across the water in the tub she watched the ripples, her mind drifting to Sig and his family. Shaking herself from her revelry she climbed into the tub and sunk beneath the water. Later that night she sat quietly at her desk writing. She couldn't sleep, the bed felt empty, the house was too quiet and she felt strangely distant. In a moment of weakness she even looked up flights to London. She could make it there in time for Christmas with her family. Shaking her head she opened her email and sent off a note to an old friend. Next she pulled out a clean sheet of paper and started making a list. If she was going to be alone for the holidays she decided she could at least be productive.

The rain had turn to sleet in Seattle. Cars moved to the side of the road as a siren blared through the quiet streets. The ambulance slid slightly on a patch of ice as it turned the corner.

"Hey Mark, lets not make Miss Natalie throw up on her first call" said the man through the small window attached to the cab.

"No worries, but I think she's been through worse" said Mark. "Didn't she tell you she worked on a crab boat."

"No she didn't."

"Yep, and I'm going back in a couple of weeks" said Natalie proudly.

She sat next to the patient's head calmly squeezing the ventilator bag. The eyes of the EMT across from Natalie seemed to size her up as he digested the new information. He didn't see how a girl who looked to weigh just over a hundred pounds could do anything on a crab boat. He'd seen the show and didn't for a moment believe that she was a deck hand.

"So how's the weather up in Dutch Harbor?" he asked.

"I imagine that it's cold" said Natalie. "I haven't been there since the end of November."

"They requiring nurses on the boats now or something?"

"Doug, stop giving the girl the third degree" said Mark through the window.

"Dude, keep your eyes on the road" barked Doug.

"No they don't" answered Natalie. "But it's a good idea to have at least basic lifesaving skills. The more the better."

"I don't think you are going to see many drownings on this shift" said Doug.

"Drownings aren't really what I'm looking to learn about" said Natalie. "Punctures, blood loss and basic blunt force trauma would be more helpful."

"You going to work in a bar or something?" said Doug, his disdain starting to leak through his voice.

"No on a boat" said Natalie shortly.

"Right, well good luck" said Doug. "I doubt you'll last very long."

Natalie was saved from having to form a response by the patient who decided at that moment to wake up and start seizing. Calmly Natalie pulled the bag off and carefully pointed the patients mouth in Doug's direction. Just as she imagined the intoxicated woman vomited all over her partner. While he was cussing, Natalie moved the patient back to her back, told her where she was and to go back to sleep. The patient complied immediately. The ambulance pulled into the hospital driveway and the patient was soon rolling into the building. Doug needed to change clothes so Natalie excused herself to the hospital's cafeteria walking with a slight swagger.

Sig sat quietly next to the fire balancing a sleepy Erik on his lap. He was surrounded by family but couldn't quite seem to engage them in conversation. Giving up he excused himself, offering to put Erik to bed. After laying the boy down and making sure he was well tucked in against the frigid Norwegian cold he carefully backed out of the room. Stopping in the hallway he pulled his cell out of his pocket and hit the send button. A moment later he hung up in frustration. As he walked back down the stairs he was stopped by an all to intelligent Antha.

"What's wrong Sig?" she asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

"I should have made it a point to invite her" said Sig.

"Have you called her?" asked Antha.

"Yes, I just keep getting voice mail" said Sig. "It's like she's not even home."

"Maybe she's not" said Antha. "Maybe she went to see her family. I know she did that last year."

"I kind of doubt it" said Sig.

"I'm sure she's fine, just busy" said Antha.

"Busy with what or with who" muttered Sig.

"I guess you will just have to wait to find out" said Antha.

"I hate waiting" said Sig grumpily.

"No kidding" said Antha. "Maybe a glass of something could cheer you up."

"Whatever it is needs to be big" said Sig.

Antha just laughed and pulled Sig back into the living room to be with his family. He did eventually cheer up the sadness over missing Natalie was slowly leached from him by the jovial antics of his family.

Natalie stood slightly slumped at her front door as she dug in her bag for a set of keys. Finally pulling them out she quickly opened the door and slipped in. The snow fall from this storm was suppose to be record setting. Walking through to the kitchen she set her bags of provisions on the counter. She checked her messages and found another series of dial tones. Whoever was calling her, certainly didn't feel like leaving a message. Shrugging her shoulders she went back into the kitchen and began to unload the bags. It was Christmas Eve and she planned to treat herself to a delicious and traditional English Christmas lunch the following day. For tonight she decided to make a quick steak with mushroom sauce and salad. She was just about to open a bottle of wine when her doorbell rang. Setting the opener down on the counter she walked to the door and opened it.

"Wow, what are you doing here?"

"It's Christmas Eve, I wanted to make sure you weren't spending it alone" said a very cold looking Jake Anderson.

"Come in, you look positively frozen" said Natalie.

"Thanks, it's coming down out there" said Jake.

Natalie started to help Jake take off his coat and noticed he had a small package in one of his hands.

"Let me hang up your coat" said Natalie. "I was just going to open a bottle of wine."

"So you really are spending Christmas alone?" asked Jake looking behind her.

"Yes" said Natalie, suddenly embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad" said Jake. "It's just I totally thought I'd come up here and you'd have a house full of friends and family."

"You don't have to stay" said Natalie. "I'm sure you want to be with your own family."

"Nah, my mom and sisters are having a great time baking" said Jake. "I usually just get in the way."

"Have you eaten yet?" asked Natalie. "I was just making myself something but I have enough to share."

"I could always eat, especially if you're cooking" said Jake with a lopsided grin.

Natalie smiled warmly and led Jake into the kitchen.

Natalie and Jake worked together to make a quick dinner. Jake seemed to know instinctually what Natalie was going to reach for and where to get it. Once the plates were served they moved into the dining room where Natalie hastily set another place. Setting down their plates they raised their glasses and toasted to absent friends. After a few bites Jake noticed the undecorated tree next to the lit fire place.

"What's up with your tree" he said.

"Nothing" said Natalie.

"It's not decorated" said Jake.

"I know, we decorate it on Christmas eve in my family" said Natalie.

"Do you need some help?" asked Jake.

"Sure, it's always more fun to decorate with someone else" said Natalie. "How are you at stringing corn?"

"Is that some sort of British thing because I have no idea what you are talking about" said Jake.

"Popcorn?" said Natalie. "Stringing popcorn."

"I've never done it in my life, but I'm sure I'll manage" said Jake.

"What do you put on your tree?" asked Natalie.

"Ornaments, lights and maybe tinsel" said Jake.

"We put on a string of popcorn and I have a few small ornaments" said Natalie.

"Then it should be pretty easy to decorate" said Jake.

"Very true" said Natalie.

They finished dinner and Jake immediately offered to do the dishes. Natalie went into the small wine alcove and selected a delicious bottle of port. She had two glasses poured and a plate of fancy chocolates waiting for Jake once he finished. They spent the next hour decorating the small tree. Jake even lifted Natalie up so she could put the star on top. Taking a few steps back they both admired their handy work. Then the lights went out.

"That's not good" said Jake.

The glowing embers from the fire were the only light in the room.

"I'll get a flashlight" said Natalie.

"Do you want me to come with you?" offered Jake.

"No, I know where everything is" said Natalie. "I wouldn't want you banging into the furniture."

"Yeah, I'm sure some of it is pretty expensive" said Jake.

"I was more thinking for your safety but yes some is expensive" said Natalie with a chirp of laughter.

She was back in a moment with a large flashlight and a tub of ice cream.

"What's the ice cream for?" asked Jake.

"The power is out, that means you have to eat all the ice cream before it melts" said Natalie.

"It's snowing, you could just put it outside to keep it from melting" said Jake.

"Don't spoil my guilt free ice cream" said Natalie with a pout.

"I hope you brought me a spoon" said Jake.

The pair finished off two small containers of ice cream and one box of popcicles.

"No more" said Jake. "My ice cream headache seems to be getting worse."

"I know, I'm starting to get cold" said Natalie. "I'm going to make a cup of tea."

"The power is out" said Jake. "How are you going to make anything."

"Just boil some water on the stove" said Natalie simply. "It's gas and I have a match."

"I think if you want to get warm you should just have another glass of wine" said Jake.

"It's a British thing, in times of crisis hot, sweet tea is just what one needs" said Natalie.

"Wow, you sounded just like Mary Poppins" said Jake.

"Into the kitchen spit spot" said Natalie in her best accent.

"Yes ma'am" said Jake with a mock bow.

They sat with steaming mugs full of tea wrapped in their hands, listening intently to the emergency services station on the small radio. It seemed the greater Washington was completely without power. The power company said the snow storm would have to pass in order to asses the damage. The weather report stated the snows would grow heavier overnight and into the morning.

"Looks like you're staying the night" said Natalie.

"I don't think I should" said Jake.

"You don't have a choice, by now the roads are blocked" said Natalie. "And probably at the rate it's coming down you'd be shoveling slower than it's falling."

"Well if the lady insists" said Jake.

"The lady does" said Natalie.

Natalie took another couple of sips of her tea before she stood up.

"We should finish our tea and go upstairs" said Natalie. "We can use the firewood to heat one room and just stay in there. The whole house is going to get cold."

"Grab your cell phone" said Jake. "It should be working and we can use it to text if we need to. I'm going to call my mom if I can get through."

"Ok, I'm going to grab another couple of bundles of wood and some newspaper" said Natalie.

"I'll get that for..."began Jake, but Natalie was already gone.

"She didn't even take the flashlight, she must have cat eyes" muttered Jake to himself.

Natalie was back before Jake even finished his call. She dropped the bundles at his feet and pulled a case of water from the bottom of her pantry. Grabbing four bottles she patiently waited for Jake to finish speaking to his family.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas" said Jake.

Natalie's face fell as she realized she was the reason Jake would be missing Christmas morning with his family.

"I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"No, don't be" said Jake. "I'm not sorry. You would have been here all by yourself. You'd have made yourself sick trying to eat all that ice cream."

"Probably" said Natalie.

"Lets go upstairs" said Jake.

"Yeah, grab the wood" said Natalie.

It took the pair a few minutes to actually make it up the stairs. Natalie was juggling a stack of newspapers and four bottles of water while Jake was struggling to haul two poorly tied bundles of wood. The moment they reached Natalie's room they dropped everything they were carrying. After laughing for a bit about their complete inability to complete the simple task they set to work lighting the fire. Once the fire was strong Natalie turned off the flashlight.

"Much better" said Natalie.

"It's nice and warm in here" said Jake.

"Um, do you want to change into pajamas?" asked Natalie.

Jake looked down at his jeans and hoody for a moment before nodding.

"Let me find you some" said Natalie.

She rifled through a few drawers and came up with a package of brand new flannel pajamas.

"Here you go" said Natalie passing the clothes to Jake. "The bathroom is right through there, take the flashlight."

"Thanks" said Jake.

"There are new toothbrushes in the drawer between the sinks" added Natalie as Jake walked away.

Jake disappeared into the bathroom and the sound of running water was all that Natalie heard for a few minutes. Eventually he reappeared holding his pile of neatly folded clothes. He set them on the chair and passed the flashlight to Natalie.

"Your turn" he said with a smile.

"Thanks" said Natalie. "Be back in a moment."

Jake sat on the floor in front of the fire until Natalie returned.

"Do you think we should add to it before we go to bed?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know, I guess we could just add another log on before we fall asleep, I think it's fine now" said Jake.

"Lets get in bed" said Natalie.

Jake stood hesitantly at the foot of the bed. His whole being telling him he was about to make a terrible mistake.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Natalie as she placed another comforter on top.

"I can't" said Jake.

"Do you need a boost or something?" asked Natalie. "I have a step stool on my side but if you want to come in over here you can just climb over me."

"No, it's not that" said Jake searching for the right words. "It's just, Sig would."

"Sig would not want you or me to freeze" said Natalie simply. "We're not going to shag or anything so don't worry about it."

"I didn't say that" said Jake.

"Besides between us we're wearing like 10 layers of clothes" said Natalie.

Jake noticed for the first time that she was wearing a long sleeved top under her pajamas. Nodding once he climbed into the bed and slid under the covers. It was cold and he was immediately drawn to the warm body next to him. They scooted together so that their sides barely touched.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Jake, go ahead."

"Why do you have unopened pajamas and like 40 new toothbrushes in your bathroom?"

"Because I like to entertain a lot and when I have an orgy I like people to have fresh breath" said Natalie.

Jake turned to face her in the dark but he couldn't make out if she was smiling or not.

"The pajamas are an extra pair from the other night when I had them for everyone and I always have a lot of toothbrushes. I change mine every time I get sick" explained Natalie.

"No orgies" said Jake.

"Nope" said Natalie.

"Too bad" said Jake.

Natalie smacked him in the arm and closed her eyes. Jake settled farther down into the soft mattress. Even thought it was barely nine o'clock both Jake and Natalie fell fast asleep.


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Please keep them coming.

The house was silent as if socked in with sound proofing. The fire was burning low but still provided a bit of light for the room. The piercing ringing of a cell phone woke Natalie from her slumber. She disentangled herself from Jake and rolled over.

"Hello" she said sleepily.

"Natalie?" asked the voice. "It's Mark. Are you ok?"

"Yes, fine" said Natalie sitting up.

"Where are you right now?" asked Mark.

"Home" said Natalie.

"Do you have power?" asked Mark.

Natalie switched on the light next to her and got nothing but the click of the mechanism.

"Nope, no power" said Natalie.

"Shit" said Mark. "I was hoping you were one of the lucky ones."

"Who's power is back on?" asked Natalie.

"Mainly the metro area, some people who live near the hospital" said Mark.

"I live pretty far from that" said Natalie. "Do you need me to come in or something?

"Yeah, but honestly I don't know how safe it would be asking you to come far if all the lights are out and the roads haven't been cleared yet" said Mark. "But we are pretty short for the shifts today."

"Well if you need me, I'll get there as soon as I can" said Natalie.

"Check your roads and call me back" said Mark. "If you can get your car out of the garage try to make it in."

"Ok" said Natalie.

"Call me when you're leaving" said Mark. "I can get a bus to meet you somewhere if the roads are bad."

"I will" said Natalie. "See you later."

Natalie hung up the phone and set it on the nightstand before slipping into her robe. She leaned over the bed searching for her slippers, once she located them she put them on and got out of bed. Hurrying to the bathroom she was grateful the hot water still worked. Natalie splashed some water on her face and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. As she walked back through into the bedroom Jake was sitting up in bed.

"Hey are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I have to go to work" said Natalie.

"Work?" asked Jake, confused. "Where?"

"Well, I actually own a business" said Natalie. "But today I'm going to work at the Seattle Ambulance company."

"I thought you were going to come fishing with us" said Jake.

"I am" said Natalie. "But I wanted to get more emergency training before the trip. So I've been moonlighting as an EMT and taking some classes."

"Wow" said Jake.

Natalie grabbed some clothes and changed. Jake averted his eyes like a gentlemen. When she started to head downstairs Jake scrambled out of the bed.

"Wait, how are you going to get there?" he asked.

"Drive" replied Natalie. "If I can get the car out of the garage. I'm going out to check the damage."

"I'll help" said Jake.

"I don't need help looking if I can get the car out of the garage" said Natalie.

"Fine, I'll make you some tea" said Jake.

Natalie turned quietly to Jake and gave him a surprised smile.

"That would be lovely" said Natalie. "Use the kettle."

"Roger" said Jake.

Natalie slipped on her coat and boots and went out to check the snow pack.

The moment she stepped outside she knew the changes of getting out was nil. There were waist high drifts across her whole driveway and she couldn't even see where Jake's truck began or ended. Sighing she pulled out her cell and delivered the bad news to Mark. Deciding to see how deep the snow pack was Natalie took a step off her porch. The snow was almost up to her chest. Muttering a few choice expletives she dusted herself off and retreated into the relative warmth of her house.

Jake was practically glowing with pride when Natalie entered the kitchen. There were two cups of steaming tea sitting on the counter. Jake had set out the sugar and taken the milk out of the fridge. Natalie put on a serious face and inspected the tea thoroughly before taking a sip.

"Well?" prompted Jake.

"Delicious" said Natalie.

Jake smiled happily before clearing his throat.

"How's it look out there?" he asked.

"There is no way we are getting out of here anytime soon" said Natalie. "The whole place is shrouded in white. I couldn't even see the road."

"I guess I should call my mom and wish her a Merry Christmas" said Jake.

"Oh no, you're missing the day with your family" said Natalie sadly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright" said Jake, his voice wavering slightly.

"You should call her straight away" said Natalie. "I'll give you some privacy."

With that Natalie walked out of the room, leaving Jake to make his call.

Hours later Natalie and Jake sat across from each other at the dinning room table. Christmas crackers littered the table and both of them wore small paper crowns. They were both slightly dazed by the amount of food they'd consumed. The Christmas feast had gone on despite the lack of electricity. In fact the feast had become much larger as Natalie had insisted on cooking all the food in the fridge. There were four bottles of wine on the table, each one had been paired with a specific course.

"I've never eaten that much food at once" lamented Jake. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"You better not" said Natalie. "It's an insult to throw up a meal someone's made for you."

"It was all delicious" said Jake. "But I'm pretty sure I've eaten my weight in food today."

"Does that mean you don't want pudding?" asked Natalie.

"No, pudding sounds terrible right now" said Jake.

Natalie was suddenly sad.

"Lets just take a break, I'm sure you make a delicious pudding" said Jake. "What flavor is it?"

"What flavor is what?" asked Natalie.

"The pudding" said Jake. "What flavor pudding?"

"It's Christmas pudding" said Natalie.

"So, like red and green?" asked Jake.

"No, like lit on fire, brandy soaked Christmas pudding" said Natalie.

Jake looked confused and Natalie looked upset.

"Do you mind if I go out for a smoke?" asked Jake.

"No" said Natalie. "You don't have to go outside, just let me get an ashtray."

"I don't want to smoke in your house" said Jake.

"Yes, well I don't want you to freeze to death outside" said Natalie. "Besides I'd like to not freeze either."

She produced an ashtray and took a cigarette from Jake's pack. Pulling out his lighter Jake lit Natalie's before his own and they both sat back in their seats.

"When did you start smoking?" asked Jake.

"Just now" said Natalie.

Jake raised a questioning eyebrow but didn't bother to voice the implied question.

"My whole family smokes, well not really. Just my brother and father. I suppose I just pick it up when convenient" explained Natalie.

"You are a really interesting girl" said Jake.

"Thanks" said Natalie hesitantly. "I think."

"No, I mean it in the best way" said Jake.

The power returned just after sunset, but even with it's return the pair was unable to dig themselves out of the house. They settled in for another night together, vowing in the morning to work on the ton of snow trapping them in the house. Jake stood uneasily at the foot of Natalie's bed, he knew he shouldn't get in. Natalie was already under the covers wearing a pair of simple cotton pajamas. The heat was on in the house but pushing out 24 hours of cold was hard work for the laboring heater. The room was still cold, no where near the chill of the previous night but not comfortable either.

"Just get in" said Natalie.

"I really..." began Jake.

"I insist" said Natalie.

"Fine" said Jake blowing out a breath of air.

Jake climbed into bed and settled himself as far away from Natalie as possible. In response Natalie rolled onto her side, facing away from Jake's prone form. Jake didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

In the early moments of dawn Jake was woken by a persistent pounding. He blinked a few times trying to clear the pounding from his head. It took him a few minutes to realize that it wasn't in his mind. He sat up slightly in bed, trying to determine where the noise was coming from. Rolling over he shook Natalie slightly to wake her.

"Bug" he said. "Someone is knocking at your door."

"Impossible" mumbled Natalie. "No one comes to visit me."

"Yeah, maybe not but someone is knocking" said Jake.

Natalie pulled herself into a sitting position and cocked her head towards the sound. After a moment she sat up straighter.

"It does sound like knocking" she said more to herself than Jake.

"Do you want me to answer it?" offered Jake.

"No, just stay here" said Natalie.

She slowly got out of bed and pulled on her robe. Once she found her slippers she trudged slowly down the stairs. Jake sat in bed alternating between curiosity at wondering who was at the door and abject fear that he already knew. He climbed out of the bed and stood at the top of the stairs, he couldn't see the front door but he was confident he could here what was said when Natalie opened the door. The sound of Natalie opening the door seemed to echo inside Jake's head. The first words out of her mouth made his blood run cold.

"Bloody hell, what are you doing here?" said Natalie. "Well don't just stand there, come in."

Jake felt the breath leave his lungs and his head begin to spin. He backed slowly into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, perfectly willing to accept his fate.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Short chapter, but I didn't want to leave the cliffhanger. Thanks for all the reviews.

Jake didn't know what to do, he backed slowly away from the staircase in order to avoid being seen. Once back in the room he paced back and forth from the bathroom to the bedroom door. He had no idea what he was going to do. He should change, being found in his pajamas in his boss's girlfriend's room was not the way he wanted to go out. He glanced around the room and began to gather his things. He pulled on his clothes, falling only once while putting on his pants. Striding out of the room he took the steps two at a time. Pausing for just a moment in the foyer he heard Natalie's voice from the kitchen. Taking a sharp left he stormed into the kitchen.

"We didn't have sex" he announced at almost a yell.

Natalie turned in shock.

"Well, isn't that lovely" said Nicole.

"Oh shit, it's not Sig" said Jake.

"No, it's not" said Natalie. "Jake, I'd like you to meet my sister Nicole."

"She's your twin" said Jake, more a statement rather than a question.

Natalie and Nicole both ignored the comment and went on with their conversation.

"Sig isn't coming back from Norway until tomorrow" said Natalie to Nicole.

She gave a sidelong glance to Jake, who looked appropriately embarrassed.

"Lovely, then I won't feel like I'm barging in on anything" said Nicole.

"Why are you here Nicole?" asked Natalie.

"I wanted to see my dear sister" said Nicole.

"You flew through a blizzard and bribed a snow plow driver to get you to my house" said Natalie. "Yet, you couldn't be bothered to call me on my birthday."

"Natty, seriously I'm just here to visit" said Nicole. "I just needed to get away."

"Get away from what?" asked Natalie wairly.

"I'm exhausted, I think I'm going to take a nap" said Nicole.

"Of course" said Natalie.

"Do you have someone who can help me with my bags?" asked Nicole.

"This isn't the fucking Ritz, take them yourself" said Natalie.

"I'll help" said Jake.

Natalie gave him a dirty look before walking out of the room.

"Cheers" said Nicole.

Natalie led Nicole to the room farthest from her bedroom. She opened the door and walked back down the hallway without a word. Nicole ignored the uncomfortable exchange and walked into the room. Jake followed her, lugging two huge suitcases with him.

"You're really strong" commented Nicole.

"Thanks" said Jake.

"How do you know Natalie?" asked Nicole.

"We worked together on the boat" said Jake.

"That's great" said Nicole as she unpacked her suitcases.

"Do you need some help?" offered Jake.

"Of course" said Nicole. "I'm always willing to have a sexy man lend me a hand."

Jake smiled shyly and hefted a suitcase onto the bed. Nicole showed him where she wanted her clothes hung and Jake happily did as he was told.

On the other side of the house Natalie was stewing angrily in her room. She knew her sister was here for some nefarious purpose but she had no idea what it could possibly be. The internet was down so she had no way to check the tabloids. She had no doubt that she was probably harboring Nicole from some sort of horrible international incident. Deciding she wanted nothing to do with her sister, she decided to get dressed. The driveway and street were clear, the snow plow Nicole had commissioned had cleared the whole neighborhood, so nothing was stopping Natalie from leaving the house. Nothing but her duty to be a good hostess to her two house guests. Hopefully Jake would understand why she had to leave and Nicole could go fuck herself as far as she was concerned. Sighing heavily she pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She was brushing her teeth when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Cursing under her breath she rinsed her mouth and went to answer it.

"What do you want" she barked.

She saw Jake's shocked face and immediately felt bad. Her ire returned as she saw Nicole poking out from behind him.

"Food" said Nicole.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"What I want is food" said Nicole, slowly.

"There is a fridge full" said Natalie. "Make something yourself."

"You know I don't cook" said Nicole. "When does your help arrive?"

"There is no help. There isn't a cook, or a maid, or a butler or a chauffeur" said Natalie. "Either do shit yourself or go somewhere else."

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning" said Nicole. "Hopefully Sig will get back and shag you back into a better mood."

Natalie saw red. She pushed past Jake and her sister and raced down the stairs. She grabbed her purse off the entry table, her coat off a hook and was putting her boots on when Jake appeared at her side.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Fine" said Natalie through gritted teeth. "I'm going out for a bit, don't feel you need to stay on her account. I'm sure you want to get back to your family."

"Natty, you can't leave me here on my own" said Nicole.

"I'll be back in a bit, if you want you can put your head in the oven while I'm gone" said Natalie.

"I'm sure I can find something more entertaining to do" said Nicole, running her fingers over Jake's arm.

"Do not have sex in my bed" said Natalie as she slammed the door leaving Jake with his mouth hanging open and Nicole looking very smug.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Thank you for the reviews.

Natalie drove over an hour to reach her final destination. She was keeping her fingers crossed that the place was open. Pulling into a parking garage she pulled the Range Rover into a parking spot and got out. She was still shaking with anger at the sudden arrival of her sister. She had no doubt that Nicole was shagging Jake up against a wall in her house at that exact moment.

"Stupid Slag" she muttered as she walked past a group of women on the street.

She reached the door of the shop and tentatively pushed the handle. Thankfully it opened readily and she breathed a sigh of relief. The small tea shop was a lucky find for Natalie when she first moved to Seattle. It carried all her favorite biscuits, teas and other british delights. It was a little piece of home. The reason she was here now was because they also carry all the British tabloids. If she was going to find out what Nicole had done it would no doubt be in the rags.

"Hello" called the lady behind the counter.

"Hello Barbara" said Natalie warmly.

"Natalie" said Barbara. "I wondered when you'd be by."

"Oh God, it's got to be horrid" said Natalie.

Barbara nodded and passed Natalie the paper. On the cover of the Sun was a huge picture of Nicole, holding a hand in front of the camera. In bold letters above the pictures the headline stated, "He wanted Moore". The byline gave Natalie a little more information, "Famed Opera star gives prince more than he bargained for at his royal engagement party".

"So what did she do?" asked Natalie.

"Dear, just read the story" said Barbara. "I'll go make us a pot of tea or perhaps something stronger."

"Just tea please" said Natalie.

Natalie settled herself down on one of the comfy sofa seats and began to read. The article spanned almost ten pages and lurid photos of Nicole and the prince were splashed across all of them. The first picture was of Nicole and the crown Prince talking, the next they were sneaking off into a side room, the next was them locked in a fierce embrace, then kissing, then they got worse. Whoever took the photographs was either the quietest person in the world or the pair couldn't care less that they were being photographed. She felt it was probably the latter. With a heavy sigh she started reading parts the article.

_The red carpet was splashed with many of the world's most famous people. Everyone came out in their most stylish outfits for the Prince's engagement party. Nicole Moore cut a stylish figure as she glided across the red carpet speaking to anyone and everyone. The beautiful songstress had a brief and spicy relationship with the prince but it was over well before his engagement to the demure Elisabeth Lambert. It seems the desire for one last fling became too much for pair. They were caught in the most intimate of embraces at the prince's engagement party. Nicole Moore has gone to ground. It is suspected she is staying in one of her family's posh hotels. Members of her entourage have been seen all over the world, but the singer has not been spotted. The Prince issued a heartfelt apology to his future bride, her family and his country. Moore has not been reached for comment but has been unapologetic in the past regarding any of her transgressions. _

Natalie set down the paper and accepted the cup of tea gratefully. She had a brief chat with Barbara about the weather and other benign subjects. The shop's proprietress stayed quiet on the looming subject. Eventually Natalie set down her cup, paid for her purchases and left.

Driving home was slow going, it had begun to snow heavily and Natalie worried the roads would be impassable by the time she reached her neighborhood. The car slid around a turn and Natalie slowed down even more. After a grueling drive she finally pulled into the garage. As she trudged through the drifts of snow she noticed that Jake's car was gone. She secretly hoped he'd taken her erstwhile sister with him. Opening the door she was greeted by the smell of frying bacon. She walked into the kitchen to find her sister standing in front of the stove.

"What are you doing?" asked Natalie.

"Making some bacon sarnies" replied Nicole. "Would you like one?"

"I didn't even know you knew how to cook" said Natalie.

"Well to be fair I burnt the first two batches" said Nicole.

Natalie glanced into the trash cans and saw almost a pound of bacon charred beyond all recognition.

"I'm getting better, I think this batch may be edible" said Nicole proudly.

Natalie warred with herself trying to decide what to do, she was still very angry with her sister, but the aroma of the bacon and the rumble in her stomach made her set aside her anger for the moment. Nicole finished making the sandwiches and the sisters dug into them with gusto. After they'd finished Nicole said she was going to take a hot shower and settle in for the night. Natalie just nodded her frostiness towards her sister returning. Once Nicole left, Natalie pulled out the magazines and began to read through them more carefully. The more she read the more suspicious she got. It seemed as if the pair planned to get caught. She brewed a pot of tea and was just pouring herself a cup when her sister appeared. Nicole noticed the tabloids on the counter and immediately picked one up.

"What rubbish" she said tossing it down.

"Why did you do it?" asked Natalie.

"Because he asked me to" replied Nicole. "I'm always willing to help a friend."

"Are you fucking kidding me" said Natalie. "You are splashed all over the covers of every newspaper in the world. The paparazzi are searching for you everywhere. What were you thinking?"

"They won't bother to look for me here, if I'm seen around it will just be assumed I'm you" said Nicole. "I guess as long as we don't go out together or one of us wears a disguise or something."

"Is that why you came here without your people and with only two suitcases?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" said Nicole. "Listen Natty, I know what I did was horrible and disgusting and that it will be the subject of much maligning in the press but the truth is Laurent asked me to do it and I agreed. It was all planned and set up with the photographer before hand."

"Why would he ask you to do this?" asked Natalie.

"Because he doesn't want to get married" said Nicole.

"According to the press he's still getting married" said Natalie.

"Well he has other plans" said Nicole. "This is just the first of many stunts."

"He's a nutter" said Natalie.

Nicole smiled and poured herself a cup of tea. The girls sipped their drinks in silence both lost in their own thoughts.

Sig's plane was delayed again. The snow in Seattle was getting worse and the Sea-Tac airport was shut down for the second time in as many days. Edgar, Norman, Antha and the kids were all sleeping uncomfortably in the airport chairs. But Sig couldn't rest, he hadn't been able to reach Natalie since before he'd left on the trip. He was worried, she could be hurt or sick or worse, mad at him. In his checked bag was a beautiful necklace and a bottle of vodka. He wasn't sure which she would like better. Antha stirred slightly and then woke up. She rubbed her eyes and stretched before realizing Sig was standing.

"Haven't you slept at all?" she asked tiredly.

"I can't" said Sig. "I'm worried about Natalie."

"She's fine" said Antha. "Too bad the same can't be said about her sister."

The news of Nicole's antics had been seen on the nightly news and in almost every paper Antha had seen. She didn't have to read Norwegian to know nothing complimentary was being said.

"I'm not surprised" said Sig. "The first time I saw her she was fucking some pool boy."

"Amazing how a set of twins could be so different" said Antha.

"Yeah" said Sig distractedly.

"Honestly Sig, she's fine" said Antha. "Don't worry about her, she's a big girl and can take care of herself. She's been doing it for all the years before she met you."

"I should have asked her to come with us" said Sig.

"You can't go back in time" said Antha in exasperation. "Get over it and move on."

Sig frowned at Antha, her brutal statement stinging him. In response Antha stuck out her tongue.

"And I thought you were the mature one" said Sig.

"I am" said Antha with a smirk.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: This chapter is so long overdue that it will not be surprising if no one even remembers what happened last chapter. Next chapter will be up sooner than this one, I promise.

Natalie shuttered in her sleep, a dream slowly ebbing from her mind. She rolled over and was immediately confronted with a sleeping body. Startled she immediately sat up in bed and stifled a scream. Looking over she saw her sister's peacefully slumbering form. Natalie poked her viciously.

"What are you doing in here?" she yelled.

"It was too scary down there, it's too quiet in this house" said Nicole rubbing her eyes. "I asked you if I could get in and you said yes."

"I said yes?" said Natalie skeptically. "In my sleep?

"Well you didn't say no" said Nicole.

"You are impossible" said Natalie.

"I didn't come here to make you mad" said Nicole.

"Into my bed or to Seattle?" asked Natalie.

"Either or both" said Nicole.

"Then why did you come?" asked Natalie.

"Because you're my sister, we shared a womb" said Nicole.

"We haven't shared a thing since" snapped Natalie.

"It's not because I haven't want to" said Nicole. "You left me."

"I just wanted space" said Natalie.

"Well you got it" said Nicole. "You live in this giant house all by yourself, you don't speak to the family unless you have to, you don't visit, you're as alone as you can be."

"What do you want?" said Natalie wearily.

"So can I stay?" begged Nicole.

"I can't even see your face but I know you are making those big dumb eyes of yours" said Natalie.

"You have the same eyes" said Nicole.

"Shut up and go to sleep" said Natalie.

"Thanks, I love you sissy" said Nicole so quietly Natalie almost didn't hear it.

The girls settled back into the bed and closed their respective eyes. Before too long they'd rolled away from each other and fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning Natalie woke to the sounds of water running. She opened her eyes and saw that her sister was brushing her teeth with her toothbrush. Sighing she got out of bed and joined her in the bathroom. Nicole handed her a toothbrush filled with paste and smiled.

"Morning" she said around a mouthful of foam.

"Morning" replied Natalie.

The pair brushed their teeth and finished their morning ablutions.

"Is there somewhere I can work out?" asked Nicole.

"Downstairs, there is a little gym" answered Natalie.

"That's cool. Very convenient. Will you come with?" asked Nicole.

"Sure, I need to run a few miles this morning" replied Natalie.

"What's up with that?" said Nicole. "I thought you only run when chased."

"I'm going back on the boat" said Natalie. "I want to be more prepared and in better shape than last time."

"Mum and Dad are going to kill you" said Nicole.

"They won't know" said Natalie sternly.

"Fine" said Nicole. "We know how to keep secrets."

"Do you need to borrow some workout clothes?" asked Natalie, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yes" said Nicole. "Why are you going on the boat again?"

"I'm just helping them out" said Natalie.

"You almost died last time" said Nicole. "Mum flew to Alaska to pick you up from the hospital."

"I remember" said Natalie.

"So what's going to be different this time?" pressed Nicole.

"I'll be better prepared" said Natalie. "I've been honing my emergency skills and I'm going up early to take a coast guard class."

"Oh Natty, why do you have to save the world" said Nicole quietly.

"I"m just helping out a friend" said Natalie. "It's not a permanent job change or anything."

"Be careful" said Nicole seriously.

Natalie studied her sister for a moment and then gave her a slight smile.

"I will" she promised.

Sig struggled to pull his laden suitcase through the door of his house. With one final tug the thing made it over the threshold and into the small foyer. Dropping it unceremoniously on the floor he trudged towards his bedroom. It had taken over 24 hours to get home from Norway and Sig was exhausted mentally and physically. He wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep. His eye caught the flashing light of his answering machine and he gave it a brief glance and then continued on, whatever it was would have to wait until tomorrow. Stumbling into the bathroom he stripped off his clothes and got into the shower. The cold water shocked him enough to open his eyes and adjust the dial but once the water warmed up his eyes drooped closed. He mechanically washed his hair and body. He toweled himself dry on the way to the bedroom, dropped his wet towel on the floor and collapsed into bed naked.

The next sound he heard was the door of his bedroom being opened. Soft hands pulled a blanket over his shivering form and quiet voices spoke above him before retreating to the hallway. Sig sat up in alarm. His first thought was that he was being robbed. Taking a moment to actually think about it he doubted a burglar would cover someone with a blanket before robbing the house. Getting quietly out of bed he padded to the door.

"Just go wake him up" said a familiar female voice.

"You do it" said a male voice.

"I just saw his naked ass, I don't want to see any more of him today" said the woman.

Sig recognized it was Edgar and Antha. He was a little confused as to why they were at his house. He checked the clock and realized it was just after 5 in the evening. He'd slept for almost 20 hours. Sig muttered a curse and shrugged into a bathrobe.

"We're suppose to be there before seven" said Antha. "Don't be such a pussy and go get your brother."

"He's obviously tired" said Edgar.

"We're all tired, we were all on the same damn flight" said Antha.

"We'll just call and say we're going to be late" said Edgar.

"Call who?" asked Sig startling the pair.

"You're up" said Antha. "Fantastic. Go get dressed."

Sig frowned at Antha's suggestion then realized what the pair was wearing. Edgar was dressed in a suit and Antha in a floor length evening dress.

"Why the hell are you dressed like that?" asked Sig.

"It's new year's eve" said Antha. "We're going out. Natalie invited us."

Sig stood rooted to the spot his face a mask of confusion. Edgar sensing it would be easier to show then tell went over and pressed play on the answering machine. Natalie's voice floated through the room.

_Hi Sig, I hope your trip was pleasant and your family in Norway is doing well. I wanted to invite you to a new year's eve dinner celebration. I realize it's last minute, I hope you don't already have plans...um..I've invited everyone from the boat and their significant other's. Also, my um...yes, I'll see you at 7 at Canlis. I'll send a car. See you then._

"So get dressed" prompted Antha. "The car is waiting for us."

"Yea, ok" mumbled Sig as he disappeared back into his bedroom.

He dressed quickly and ran a comb though his hair. Sig was out the door and in the limo in less than 10 minutes.

The restaurant was packed with people as Sig, Edgar and Antha pushed their way through the crowd to the hostess stand. Antha gave their name and they were greeted with a megawatt smile and led into the restaurants private dining room. A waiter met them at the door and handed them a glass of champagne. The trio walked into the well appointed room to find Norman and Matt were sitting across from each other sipping on glasses of scotch. In the far corner Jake and Matt were speaking with two leggy woman wearing colored wigs.

"Who are they?" asked Antha.

"No idea" answered Sig.

The woman turned to face the new arrivals and Sig was met with matching faces.

"Oh fuck" said Edgar. "I'm seeing double."

"It's Natalie and her sister" said Sig.

"Which one is which?" asked Edgar.

Sig paused. He had no idea, the girls were wearing very similar dresses and had wigs on. Natalie and Nicole approached the group and Sig crossed his fingers that one of the girls would speak before he had to.

"Hello" they chorused.

"Oh that is so creepy" said Antha with a laugh. "You sound like those twins from the Shining."

"You are so right" said Edgar.

Sig was still studying the twin faces trying to distinguish which was Natalie.

"So I don't think I've actually met one of you" said Edgar.

"I bet Sig could introduce you" said one of the twins in a voice devoid of an accent.

"We've made all the boys guess" said the other twin in the exact same voice.

Sig frowned. He didn't want to be made a fool of, especially in front of his crew.

"Has anyone gotten it right?" asked Antha.

"Just one" said a twin.

Sig took a deep breath and with a determined grimace put his arm around the beauty in the pink wig.

"Edgar, I'd like you to meet Nicole" said Sig, his insides churning in anticipation.

"Pleasure" said Edgar shaking her hand lightly.

"Bravo" said Nicole. "How did you know it was me?"

"I didn't think Natalie would choose pink" said Sig.

"I told you we should have switched" said Nicole.

"Who else figured it out?" asked Antha.

"Jake" said Nicole.

"How did Junior manage that?" asked SIg in shock.

"He made us kiss him" replied Nicole.

The room erupted in guffaws at Sig's shocked expression and Jake's pink cheeks.

Sig's eyes cracked open painfully, the brief flash of light immediately gave him a blinding headache. The room felt like it was tilting. Dropping his foot onto the floor he pressed down in a desperate effort to stop the room from spinning. It took Sig a moment to realize that he was actually sleeping on a couch in what seemed to be a huge hotel room having no recollection how he arrived. His shirt was open and his pants slung low on his waist. Standing heavily he immediately sat back down as a wave of dizziness hit him. He reached to the side table where a cut crystal glass sat full of clear liquid. Taking a heavy pull it was all he could do not to spit it back out, the glass was full of vodka. Sig took a deep breath and stood again, this time using the end table to hold him steady. Once his eyes focused he took stock of the room. It looked a bit like a war zone, sleeping bodies littered the two room suite. He moved towards the bathroom, passing by his brothers sleeping in a couple of chairs. Matt and Nick were asleep on the floor on a scattering of blankets and pillows. The girls and Jake were no where to be found. Sig used the bathroom and quietly slipped into the bedroom. Jake was sitting in a chair next to the bed watching the girls sleep. Sig noticed that their shoulders were bare and he could see a pink nipple hovering just below the line of the sheet.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Sig gruffly.

"You'd think it would be a really sexy thing to watch. Three half naked girls in a bed together" said Jake tiredly. "But it's slightly less attractive when they keep puking all over each other."

Sig looked a little closer and noticed there were trash cans on either side of the bed and small towels littered the bed.

"Is Natalie ok?" asked Sig.

"She's in the middle, I don't think she's actually thrown up but the other girls may have gotten it on her" said Jake.

"Have you been watching them all night?" asked Sig.

"No, I just got up when I heard them puking" explained Jake. "I didn't want them to Jimi Hendrix or anything."

"Right, well thanks for doing it" said Sig.

"Yeah" said Jake.

One girl on the bed moved starting a chain reaction of moans and groans from the other two. Jake reached for the bucket at his feet and moved it closer to the side of the bed.

"Lets try to get it in the bucket this time" he said to Nicole.

"Bugger off" was her reply.

"Am I covered in vomit?" asked Natalie, sitting up in the bed, the sheet falling to her waist.

"Sorry Natty" said Nicole.

"Oh disgusting" said Natalie scrambling out of the bed.

She was half way to the bathroom before she realized when she only wearing a tiny thong.

"Stop looking at my ass" she said to no one in particular before slamming the bathroom door.

The sound of the slam made everyone in the suite groan.

Breakfast arrived in the suite an hour later and while some of its inhabitants were still suffering their hangovers a few were ravenous. Natalie, Sig, Norman and Edgar sat sipping coffee in the corner of the room. The brothers were discussing the scheduling of the Opi season and Natalie was half listening.

"I think Edgar should go up and get the boat set up and then go home" said Sig. "It's just a couple of days, but I want to make sure the engine and everything is ready."

"That's fine" said Edgar. "But I want the whole crew up there so I can train them."

"How much time do you think you are going to need?" asked Sig.

"At least a week" said Edgar.

"Natalie will come up with me" said Sig.

"She's going to need to learn stuff too" said Edgar.

"Like what?" asked Sig. "She's not going to need to know how to fix an engine."

"Why not?" said Edgar. "Everyone needs to know what to do in an emergency."

"I'll already be up there" said Natalie.

"What? Why?" said Sig.

"I'm taking a class with the coast guard" said Natalie.

"Really?" said Edgar. "That's great. I didn't know you could even do that sort of thing."

"I got special permission to take one specific class" explained Natalie.

"What's the class?" asked Sig.

"What do you think it is?" said Norman with a shake of his head.

"I don't know" said Sig. "It's a valid question."

"At sea lifesaving" said Natalie.

"We're going to keep you safe" said Sig. "I think taking the class is overstepping what your job is going to be on the boat."

"What is that suppose to mean?" asked Natalie, her voice quieting.

"It means you are going to be a greenhorn" said Sig simply. "No cooking, no massaging, all you are going to be doing is bait and throwing buoy bags."

"That's all well and good" said Natalie. "But if something happens and someone needs help I'd like to be in a position to save them."

"You don't have to do that" said Sig. "That won't be necessary."

"I'm still going to take the class" said Natalie firmly. "Not because it's necessary but because I want to do it. I like learning.

"Fine" said Sig. "But I don't like it."

"Duly noted" said Natalie.

Sig got up and stalked towards the coffee pot.

"This season is going to be crazy" said Edgar.

"Lucky for you, you won't be there" said Norman.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed this story. I am still working on it and hope to update more frequently. I appreciate your patience.

Natalie sighed and shifted in her seat, her butt was asleep again. The lecturer in the front of the room was droning on about the history of the United States Coast Guard. While the history was certainly full of interesting anecdotes the lecturers voice made even the most daring rescues sound boring. She tried very hard to focus, after all this lecture was just for her benefit. The rest of the class were second year recruits who looked like they'd heard this speech before. The class had started four days ago and had been a complete hands on experience. She'd learned to place an IV, in a helicopter simulator and a list of the most grievous injuries sustained on boats and ways to help a patient to survive in the most challenging circumstances. However Natalie had made the mistake of asking the difference between the Navy and the Coast Guard, the instructor was flabbergasted at her question and promptly scheduled the history class. While the class, delivered by someone with a bit more pizazz, could have been interesting it wasn't really going to help her save a man's life on the open ocean. Her thoughts drifted to the crew of the Northwestern. Sig had informed her that he would be up in Dutch in a couple of weeks but that the crew would be up on Friday to begin prepping the boat. Edgar was coming up with the guys but would leave once the boat was underway. He stressed again that he thought the class was a waste of time which she thanked him for his opinion and told him to bugger off.

"Are their any questions?" asked the instructor.

The question was met by silence.

"Then you are dismissed" said the instructor sullenly.

The class gathered up their notebooks and shuffled out the door.

"Natalie, it's chow time" said Mark, another instructor, who was waiting in the hall.

"Roger" replied Natalie.

The mess hall was crowded when Natalie and Mark walked in. They entered the food line and slowly moved through the different food stations. Natalie was surprised at how well the guys ate, she was sure she'd gain a stone by the end of the week. Tonight's fare was no exception. Natalie placed some shrimp on her plate along with a large helping of rice and veggies. Mark moved her towards an empty table and they sat down. After a few moments of chewing Mark set down his fork and cleared his throat.

"Tomorrow is a training exercise" he said. "I got your permission to tag along."

"Thanks" said Natalie, smiling ear to ear.

"I knew you'd be happy" said Mark. "How was class today?"

"United States history is a fascinating subject, being subjected to it for hours on end was a bit much" said Natalie.

"You're going to need plenty of sleep tonight" said Mark. "We leave at 0500 tomorrow morning."

"What is the training exercise?" asked Natalie.

"It's a search and rescue" said Mark.

"In a simulator?" asked Natalie.

"Nope, you will actually get to leave the base" said Mark.

"Finally" said Natalie. "My week is over in two days."

"Too bad, you could definitely be an asset to us here" said Mark seriously.

Natalie sighed, they'd had this conversation before.

"Well there are a wealth of problems associated with that suggestion" said Natalie evenly.

"You have a real talent for lifesaving" said Mark. "A calm head and a great ability to assess situations."

"Thank you for the compliments but I have no interest in joining the US Coast Guard" said Natalie.

"Well, I just thought I'd ask" said Mark.

"Again" added Natalie.

"Let me walk you to your room" said Mark.

"No need, I can find it myself" said Natalie. "Good night Mark, I'll see you in the morning."

The Jayhawk helicopter sped over the ocean, it's powerful engines eating up the miles between Kodiak and the drop zone. Natalie sat buckled into one of the jump seats listening to the crackling voices of the other crew members as they talked to each other. The helmet was heavy on her head and she was having a hard time keeping her head up. She had asked for permission to take it off and was quickly denied. Mark sat across from her slowly going through the procedures with the other recruit.

"Ok, we are about 10 miles from the drop zone" said the pilot. "We're going to show you how fast we can go. Hold on."

The acceleration made Natalie's stomach drop and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Aright, we are topped out at 180 knots" said the pilot proudly. "And we're here."

The helicopter hovered in midair, rocking only slightly as winds gusted against it.

"Preparing to open the door" said Mark.

"Roger, door opening" said the co-pilot.

The door opened and a blast of frigid air blew into the cabin. Natalie shivered slightly at the change in temperature but leaned forward despite the chill to see where they were. Below them she could see a huge Coast Guard cutter in the water. Just off it's port side was a huge area filled with colored smoke.

"Ok, rescue swimmer are you ready?" asked Mark.

"Roger, I am ready" said Jon, the recruit sitting next to Natalie.

"Good luck Jon" said Natalie squeezing his hand.

"I'll see you later" said Jon.

"Ok Jon, lets go" said Mark.

Jon walked to the door and after assessing the situation jumped into the frigid water below.

"Swimmer in the water" said Mark.

"Roger" replied the co-pilot.

"Basket at the door" said Mark.

"Roger, basket at the door" said the co-pilot.

Mark signaled Natalie to come closer. She scooted over to where he was a sat next to him. He showed her how he'd attached the basket to the winch and where he was going to try to get it to land. It was pointless to try to talk over the roar of the rotors and wind noise so all the instruction was done with hand signals. Jon called for the basket and Mark answered by pushing it out of the door and steadying the unfurling cable trying to get it as close to the swimmer as possible.

"Patient in the basket" crackled Jon's voice.

"Hoisting" said Mark. "Natalie, as soon as the basket is in the cabin you're on."

"Roger" said Natalie.

The basket was pulled into the cabin and Natalie went to work. With Mark's help she pulled the patient from the basket and onto the gurney. She did a quick check of vitals and then started to cut away the gumby suit. Water spilled all over the floor making it slippery. Natalie skidded across the floor on her knees moving around the gurney checking the patient for injuries. She'd had a list of what was suppose to be wrong with him and she began to work to stabilize him. The pretend patient had a hard time keeping the smile off his face as Natalie told him what she was doing before each procedure. Once she was finished with his "life threatening injuries" she covered him with warm blankets and helped him sit up.

"How'd I do?" asked Natalie.

"Great, but you don't have to tell the patient what you are doing" said Mark. "They can't hear you anyway."

"Force of habit" said Natalie.

"It was damn sexy to see her mouth move and I could just imagine what dirty things she was saying to me" said the patient.

Natalie rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.

"You guys are all alike" she grumbled.

The tailwind that had been so helpful on the way to the site was completely unsuitable as a headwind. The pilots lurched the plane to the right and left before climbing in an effort to find a place where the wind wasn't so powerful. Their maneuvers proved futile as the helicopter trudged heavily through the darkening sky. The laughing and joking crew had gone strangely silent. Natalie kept quiet but she couldn't help but listen to the growing strain in the co-pilot's voice as he listed their fuel poundage and their distance to the base.

"We are building ice on the window" said the co-pilot.

"Roger. How far until we reach Kodiak?" asked the pilot.

Before the co-pilot could respond Mark's voice cut in.

"Natalie, take off your headphones" said Mark.

Both the pilot and co-pilot were silent until Natalie removed them. Mark passed her a pair of earplugs and told her to sit tight, there was nothing to worry about. Natalie felt that was a complete lie but didn't bother to argue. The "patient" next to her reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry" he said.

"Are you worried?" asked Natalie.

"Not really, these guys are pros. By the way my name is Patrick, thanks for saving my life" he said with a smile.

"I'm Natalie and your injuries seem to have miraculously healed."

"How long have you been in the program?" asked Patrick.

"I'm not in the program, just here for a week" said Natalie sheepishly. "I'm here to learn a little bit about lifesaving at sea before I go to back to the Bearing Sea."

"What?" exclaimed Patrick. "That's crazy, how in the hell did you get permission to come into our program. You are risking your life on this training exercise for nothing."

Natalie tried to pull her hand away but Patrick held tight.

"Let go" said Natalie angrily.

"Why would you come here? You can't learn anything in a week" said Patrick.

"I already knew basic lifesaving, I've spent the last month in the ER and in ambulances" said Natalie. "I knew what I was getting into and that is why I came."

Patrick studied her face as if he was trying to decide if she was legit. Natalie scowled at his assessment but remained silent.

"If we get out of here alive, I'd like to buy you a beer" said Patrick.

"I'm going to need something stronger than a beer" retorted Natalie.

The exchange took Natalie's mind off the trouble. She wondered what Sig would say if he knew what she was doing. She smiled despite the situation thinking of Sig raging at her for taking unnecessary risks. Mark noticed her smile and tapped her on the leg, silently asking her to let him in on the joke. Natalie shook her head and said a little prayer that they'd get back safely.

Hours later Natalie, Patrick and the rest of the crew sat at a small bar located on the Coast Guard base in Kodiak. She was nursing a vodka tonic while Patrick slammed back another shot. He'd bought her a couple which she'd pretended to drink, before pouring them into the various drinks littering the table. The Jayhawk had made it back to the landing pad with barely enough fuel and the trip had taken twice as long. The crew was partying like they'd just risked their lives, which in a way they had. She'd been so sure after such a huge amount of alcohol they would be slurring or tired or pass out or something but they seemed to be going strong. On the other hand Natalie was exhausted and her head was spinning from the drinks she'd consumed.

"You ready to go?" asked Patrick.

Natalie snapped herself back into reality and nodded. He paid the bill quickly and pulled her off the barstool before helping her into her coat. Natalie said a quick goodbye to the other guys before turning to Patrick. He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the bar. He turned her to the right and they started the long trek back to the barracks. A light snow had started to fall and Natalie shivered as the snow slipped beneath her collar.

"You need a warmer coat" said Patrick as he put his arm around her.

Despite her misgivings about the situation she snuggled into his warmth, in response Patrick drew her in closer.

"You are a really cool chick" he said into her hair.

"Thanks" replied Natalie.

"When do you leave?" asked Patrick.

"The day after tomorrow" said Natalie. "I go straight to Dutch Harbor."

"Too bad" said Patrick. "We could have a lot more fun if you stayed."

"Did Mark put you up to this?" asked Natalie warily.

"No, why does he want you to stay?" asked Patrick.

"Yes" said Natalie. "But I can't and I'm not, so lets drop it."

Patrick pulled her flush with his body, bent down and placed a kiss gently on her lips. Natalie's eyes flashed wide in surprise. Patrick pulled back once he realized she wasn't participating and he took a step back.

"Sorry" said Patrick.

"It was nice" said Natalie.

Patrick took a step forward and Natalie put a hand on his chest to stop his progress.

"Sorry, but it's not going to happen" said Natalie firmly.

"Roger" said Patrick with a lopsided grin.

The pair walked the rest of the way to the barracks and Patrick kissed Natalie chastely on the cheek when they reached her door. Natalie returned the kiss and then walked into her room.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, it was wonderful to know people are still reading.

Dutch Harbor was clear and cold when the crew of the Northwestern stepped off the plane. The guys grabbed their bags and headed towards the warmth of the small terminal. They had ten days to get the boat ready for Sig's arrival. Edgar turned on his cell phone and noticed he'd received three new messages from Sig. Slipping the phone back into his pocket he clapped Matt Bradley on the shoulder and pointed to the coffee cart.

"I need coffee" said Edgar.

"Aren't you going to call Sig and tell him we got here?" asked Matt.

"No" said Edgar.

"Roger" replied Matt.

Sig had been impossible since Natalie had left for her Coastie class. He'd bitched about everything, the weather, Edgar quitting, Norman being too indecisive, Jake not working hard enough, the list was endless. Finally Antha had had enough, she'd pulled Sig aside and said something to him that he refused to reveal but the complaining had stopped, at least in Antha's presence.

"Where's Jake?" asked Edgar as he sipped at his coffee.

"He went to get the car" replied Nick.

"Kiss ass" mumbled Matt.

"Whatever dude, he's going to be your deck boss for this trip" said Edgar with a smirk.

Matt flipped him the bird and walked out of the airport. Edgar followed him and they were both surprised to see Jake getting out of the truck.

"Hey, get back in there. We have to go" barked Edgar.

"I just got a text from Natalie, she says she should be here in about 20 minutes" explained Jake.

"Impossible, we were on the last flight" said Matt.

Jake frowned and then pulled out his phone.

"It says 'I should be in by 5:30 if the winds are ok, let me know if I need to find a ride to the boat'" said Jake.

"Did she specify that it would be today?" asked Matt, slowing his voice.

"She just sent me the note, of course it's for today" said Jake hotly.

"Don't get your panties in a twist" said Edgar. "I'll go in and ask."

Edgar walked up to the information kiosk and asked the same airport porter, who'd he'd seen at least once each season if he had any information about an extra flight. The man confirmed there were no additional commercial flights, but that there was a special Coastie helicopter on it's way from Kodiak landing at the helo pad.

"Thanks man" said Edgar.

He walked back outside and told the guys the information.

"Well, do you think she could be coming in to Dutch on a Coastie helicopter?" asked Norman.

"Probably not" said Nick.

"Lets get our shit loaded and Junior can text her back asking for clarification" said Matt grumpily. "I want to get out of the cold and into a bar."

The guys agreed and quickly got their gear in the car. Edgar heaved a large bag into the back startling Jake.

"I thought you were just staying for a few days" said Jake.

"I am" said Edgar.

"Then what's with the giant bag?" asked Jake.

"It's stuff for Natalie" said Edgar. "Antha sent it, it's rain gear and some new sweatshirts, some sort of special hair conditioner, baby wipes, something for the kitchen...I don't know exactly, I'm just following orders."

"That's nice" said Jake.

"Whatever" replied Edgar. "Did you send her the text?"

Jake sheepishly pulled out his phone and sent the note. There was almost an immediate reply and Jake's mouth dropped open while reading it.

"What'd she send you a naked picture or something?" asked Matt, pulling the phone out of Jake's hand.

"Holy Fuck, she's in a helicopter" said Matt. "And she's wearing a fucking orange suit and helmet with her fucking name on it."

"No shit, let me see that" said Edgar.

The phone was passed around and once everyone had seen the picture Jake took it back.

"I guess we should wait for her then" said Jake with a smirk.

The guys stood just off the tarmac watching the helicopter descend onto the landing pad. The rotors kicked up swirls of old snow and the wind whipped at the landing crew waiting on the ground. The door slid open and a couple of guys jumped out of the helicopter. Mark pulled Natalie down and gently set her on the ground. She pulled off her helmet and handed it to him. Mark shook his head and pressed it back into her hands. Natalie pealed her name off of the helmet and handed it back. He set it down inside and then pulled a huge bag out and motioned for Natalie to walk towards the building. They got clear of the rotors and Mark set down the bag prompting Natalie to stop and turn. He pulled her into an embrace and planted a kiss on her lips. Natalie immediately pushed him back.

"What was that for?" Natalie asked, her voice almost lost over the din of the engine.

"Just in case it was my only chance" said Mark with a smirk.

"It was" said Natalie. "Bye Mark, I can take it from here."

Natalie picked up her bags and walked towards the edge of the tarmac where the group of guys were waiting. Jake was the first to meet her and he immediately took her bags.

"Dude, what's in these bags?" asked Jake.

"One is my new medical kit" said Natalie proudly. "I think it has everything I could possibly need in it."

"It feels like it's full of rocks" said Jake.

Matt pushed past jake and pulled Natalie into a tight hug and then turned her over to Nick. Norman and Edgar stood farther back waiting their turns.

"Lets get to the car" said Edgar as he hugged Natalie.

He held Natalie back a little, slowing her progress. Once the guys were out of earshot he spoke again.

"Who was that guy?" asked Edgar, his voice quiet but hard.

"He was my instructor" answered Natalie lightly.

"He kissed you" said Edgar.

"I know, it was unexpected" said Natalie.

"I don't know all the ins and outs of your relationship with Sig but he's my brother and I don't want him getting hurt" said Edgar.

"It meant nothing" said Natalie. "Besides you aren't the only one who doesn't know the ins and outs of my relationship with Sig."

Edgar stopped Natalie and spun her around so he could look at her face. In the harsh lights of the tarmac she looked incredibly young and his rebuke died on his lips. Natalie looked back into Edgar's eyes her face a mask of confusion. The silence grew and Natalie raised her eyebrows in encouragement.

"It's good to see you" said Edgar, finally.

"Nice to see you too" said Natalie, her voice unsure.

Natalie stood over Edgar's shoulder in the engine room, he was talking to her and Jake but she couldn't hear a thing. Between the blaring engine noise and the ear protection she was essentially deaf. He was pointing to a huge breaker switch and when he pulled it down the lights went out. He pushed it back up and the lights flickered on again. Jake nodded as if he'd gotten an amazing lesson and when Edgar looked expectantly at Natalie, she gave him a thumbs up. Edgar mouthed something and then started up the stairs. Natalie followed Jake up the stairs and out into the fresh air. It was the last day before the boat was scheduled to leave for Opies. Sig's plane had been delayed twice due to foul weather. He would basically arrive and then the boat would leave. The pots were stacked and the bait was loaded.

"Ok, I'm going to show Jake some stuff about fixing the hydros" said Edgar.

"Am I dismissed then?" asked Natalie.

"Yes" said Edgar.

Natalie turned, walked through the ready room and into the galley. Matt, Nick and Norman were playing cards on the table. Natalie glanced at Norman's cards and then made a face at Matt as she walked by.

"I'm all in" replied Matt.

"Fuck, I fold" said Norman. "Thanks a lot Bug."

"You're welcome" said Natalie with a smile.

"Don't make dinner, we are going out tonight" said Matt.

"Oh, ok" said Natalie.

She pulled down a kettle and filled it with water. She hummed tunelessly to herself as she waited for the water to boil.

"I think it's crazy that your sister is an opera singer and you can't carry a tune" said Matt.

"Yes, well we aren't clones or anything" said Natalie.

She poured the hot water into teapot and carried it to the table.

"That thing isn't going to last a day on this boat" said Nick.

"It's already lasted 8" replied Natalie.

"Yes, but we've been tied up the whole time" said Norman.

"If it gets broken, then it gets broken" said Natalie. "It's not irreplaceable or anything."

"The queen didn't give it to you?" teased Matt.

"No, surprisingly enough she didn't" said Natalie. "I bought this one at Crate Barrel."

She poured herself a mug of tea in a cup painted with different types of bugs. The cup was a gift from the crew and she loved it.

"I'm more worried about my new mug getting broken" confessed Natalie.

"We bought a couple, just in case that happened" said Matt.

"How thoughtful" said Natalie.

Norman's phone rang and the three people at the table leaned forward to see the name on the caller ID.

"It's Sig" said Norman before picking up the phone.

"Thank you, we can all read" quipped Matt.

Norman gave Matt the finger and then walked outside.

"Do you think he's here?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know" said Matt. "Why are you scared?"

"Nervous" said Natalie.

"You'll be fine" said Nick. "Drink your tea."

Natalie obeyed and put her lips to the cup.

It seemed to take hours to get Sig from the airport. Natalie sat in a booth inside the Thirsty Isle with Jake, Nick and Matt. The Hansen brothers were discussing their strategy for the upcoming season. Natalie had felt odd leaving the boat when she'd only said a cursory hello to Sig. She wanted to give him a proper welcome and tell him how much she'd missed him and how much she'd learned at her class, but that wasn't in the cards. Sig was disgruntled by the weathers lack of cooperation and by Edgar's insistence that he was in fact not going on this trip. Natalie had been spared most of the argument, but as she'd walked down the dock she could still hear Sig's shouting.

"Drink up" said Matt.

"I'm drinking" said Natalie, taking another sip.

"Here comes trouble" said Nick under his breath.

Natalie looked up and saw Sig walking towards the bar, he was scowling angrily. He picked up his drink and headed off to one of the other tables.

"Why isn't he sitting with us?" asked Natalie, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"It's the captains' table, they are probably making the captain's wager and shooting the shit before we leave tomorrow" explained Nick.

"A bunch of bullshitting and then we go to the boat and leave" said Matt. "So drink your drink, we will be leaving soon."

"What does a captain's wager usually entail?" asked Natalie.

"Basically who can pull the most pots with the most crab in them wins the money" said Matt.

"Interesting" said Natalie. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Don't get lost" said Matt.

"I won't" said Natalie.

Natalie walked towards the bathroom, taking the long way around so she could pass the captains table. She saw Sig holding court with the other captains. Fans and friends came up to pay homage and offer to buy them drinks or gave them kisses. She sighed and then continued on to the bathroom. After she'd gone she returned to the bar to order another round of drinks. The bartender asked how her time off had been, he'd remembered her from last season. Natalie exchanged pleasantries and then returned to the table with the drinks.

"Thanks Bug" said Nick, picking up his beer.

"No problem" said Natalie. "Just paying you back."

"I saw you took the long way to the bathroom" said Nick.

Natalie looked down, pretending to study the table.

"Is Sig going to finish any time soon?" asked Matt.

"Probably not, he was kind of mobbed" said Natalie.

"Then lets go, we can get better drinks from Kale at the Grand" said Jake.

"Sounds great" said Natalie happily. "I haven't even told her I'm back yet."

The Aleutian Grand was packed with crabbers, some were eating a late dinner but most were drinking at the bar. Natalie had barely taken two steps into the bar before Kale was engulfing her in a hug. Tears pricked Natalie's eyes as she felt her friends arms squeeze the life out of her.

"It is so good to see you" said Kale. "I can't believe you are up here."

"I know, it's crazy" said Natalie.

A voice from the bar calling Kale back to her job. She gave Natalie a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to work. Natalie and the guys found a table and sat down. Kale brought them over some drinks and promised to talk more once the patrons thinned out. Natalie had just finished her drink when a voice made her turn her head.

"Natalie? Is that you?"

Natalie turned her head and broke out in a grin from ear to ear. Walking towards her were Chris and Jason. Natalie slid from her seat and rushed the guys.

"Chris, how is the arm?" she asked.

"Fine, I had a surgery and everything was repaired" said Chris. "You saved my life and my arm."

Before Natalie had a chance to respond Jason walked up to her and pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"I don't know what you are doing up here" he muttered. "But it is so good to see you alive and healthy."

"I guess it was a little touch and go last time you saw me" said Natalie. "But I'm all better now."

"So what are you doing up here?" asked Chris.

"I'm going to be on the Northwestern again this season" said Natalie. "But just as a deck hand. Edgar retired and I am just filling in until Sig can find someone else."

"Who's filming on the boat this year?" asked Matt.

Natalie bristled at the realization that there was a chance that she would have to share a space with Bishop again.

"Us" said Chris. "It was the only way Sig would agree to let Discovery back on the boat."

"You're kidding" said Matt. "That is awesome, you guys are the best."

"We just started rigging the boat, it will go on all night probably" said Jason. "But we'll get it done before Sig takes off."

"Yeah, we should get back" said Chris. "We were just grabbing the last of our gear from our hotel rooms."

"We're pretty much done here, we can go back with you" said Natalie. "I just have to say goodbye to Kale."

Natalie said her goodbyes and the group traveled back to the boat. The rigging was in full effect when the group returned to the boat and Natalie did her best to stay out of everyones way.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please note there is some adult content in this chapter.

The sky was just starting to lighten over the fishing fleet. The pots were loaded and the crews were ready to throw the lines and head out for Opies. Natalie woke up to the smell of frying bacon. She pulled herself out of her bunk and dropped noiselessly to the floor. Before she could go two steps Norman's hand shot out and caught hers.

"Where are you going?" asked Norman, his voice obscured by his pillow.

"I want to see who's cooking breakfast" said Natalie.

"I can't believe you're up so early" said Norman. "You were crying in your sleep last night."

"Oh yeah" said Natalie noncommittally.

She didn't have the heart to tell Norman she hadn't been sleeping. Being back in the same bunk where she'd gotten so sick had sent her into a sort of crying panic attack.

"You should take Edgar's bunk" said Norman conversationally. "That way you will be closer to the floor if you fall out."

"Why would I fall out?" asked Natalie.

"Well seas are rougher during Opies" explained Norman. "Plus change is always nice."

"Ok, I'll switch" said Natalie.

"Switch your stuff now" said Norman.

"Why don't you want me to go see who's making breakfast?" asked Natalie suspiciously.

"Honestly, I don't care who's cooking" said Norman. "But the sooner we appear to eat the sooner Sig is going to want us to get going and I want to enjoy a few more hours of sleep before hell begins."

"Well I'm not waiting 2 hours to get a piece of bacon" said Natalie. "I'm hungry."

"Fine, go get some breakfast but whatever you do don't wake up Sig" said Norman.

Natalie hesitated and after a moment she started moving her stuff from the top bunk to the bottom.

"I thought you were going to get some bacon" said Norman.

"I am, just getting stuff settled here first" said Natalie.

Norman rolled over, tucking his head under his pillow and a moment later he was snoring.

Edgar was in the galley making a huge send off breakfast. He planned to leave as soon as the crew meeting was over. His plane tickets were in his pocket and he was ready to get back to his family. He was pretty sure he'd get breakfast on the table before anyone got out of bed. The discovery crew was still working frantically to get the boat rigged with cameras. Chris and Jason had been working all night, they had both come in a few times and looked relieved that Sig wasn't up yet. It was going to be a tight finish, but if anyone could do it, it would be them. The quiet shuffling of feet drew Edgar's attention to the hall. A small arm in a sweatshirt appeared just above the table and snagged a few slices of bacon.

"Bug, it's just me" said Edgar.

"Are you sure?" asked Natalie from the floor.

"Yes, are you sitting under the table?" asked Edgar, mirth apparent in his voice.

"Maybe" said Natalie.

"Do you want some coffee?" asked Edgar.

"Are you delivering?" asked Natalie.

"Can't, I'm making pancakes" said Edgar.

"I guess I have to get it myself" said Natalie.

She extracted herself from under the table and sauntered over to the coffee maker. Taking her bug mug she filled it up with hot coffee before moving back to the table. This time instead of sitting underneath it she sat in the regular seat.

"So why were you sneaking bacon?" asked Edgar.

"Norman asked me not to wake up Sig, he wants to sleep for another couple of hours" explained Natalie.

"Ah, that makes sense" said Edgar. "But the sooner the crew meeting is over the sooner I can go home."

"I bet Antha is really excited to get you home" said Natalie.

"I hope she feels the same excitement once I've been home for a couple of weeks" said Edgar warily.

"She will. Besides she will be working" said Natalie.

"I guess" said Edgar.

A noise from the wheelhouse made both Edgar and Natalie freeze.

"Crap, he's awake" said Natalie.

"Take him a cup of coffee and tell him breakfast isn't ready yet" suggested Edgar.

"Ok" said Natalie.

Natalie walked up the small staircase towards the wheelhouse. Once she crested the stairs she realized that Sig wasn't in there. The Discovery crew member looked startled and then relieved to see it was only Natalie. She waved quietly and put a finger to her lips. Turning around she made her way towards Sig's stateroom. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him up but she needed to find out if he was up or not. Sighing she pushed open the door slightly, the door emitted the most horrendous creak ever. If Sig wasn't awake before he certainly was now. With a muttered curse Natalie walked into the room. In the dim light of cabin she saw Sig laying on the bed, one arm flung over his eyes. The first thing Natalie noticed was that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Walking towards the bed she set the cup of coffee on the small wooden end table and hovered gently over Sig's prone body. Her brain and body were waring against each other. Her brain was saying leave and her body that was insisting they stay. Natalie traced a finger over Sig's collarbone and down the center of his chest.

"Are you trying to molest me" asked Sig sleepily.

"Yes" said Natalie, her voice husky.

The tone of her voice made Sig open his eyes. Natalie smiled at him, her eyes full of lust.

"Close the door" said Sig.

Natalie turned back and all but sprinted to the door. She closed it quietly and returned to the side of the bed.

"Aren't you hot?" asked Sig.

"Not really" replied Natalie looking down at her clothing in confusion.

"Take off the sweatshirt and climb in" said Sig.

Natalie did as she was asked and quickly settled in next to Sig.

"I'm surprised you're not cold" said Natalie running her hand playfully over his chest.

Sig didn't answer because his breath had caught in his throat. It had been so long since he'd had Natalie in his arms that he found he couldn't decide what to do first. The silence stretched.

"Cat got your tongue?" asked Natalie leaning towards his mouth.

"Yes" whispered Sig before pulling Natalie in for a kiss.

Their mouths met in a fission of energy. Sig's tongue slid along seam of Natalie's mouth and she immediately granted it entrance. Sig deepened the kiss, pulling Natalie under him at the same time. When they finally needed to come up for air, Sig's hand was toying with Natalie's nipples over her shirt.

"You must be really hot now" said Sig pulling Natalie's shirt over her head.

"Very" said Natalie.

Natalie arched her back raking her sensitive nipples over Sig's coarse chest hair. The feeling made her eyes flutter closed.

"You are so sexy" said Sig as he leaned down to take a nipple in his mouth.

Natalie had no time to respond, her body was reacting to Sig's talented mouth and all she could do was moan. Sig shifted to the other nipple. His hand trailed down her stomach, slipping under the waistband of Natalie's sweats and into her underwear. His fingers delved deeper, splitting her nether lips and finding her wet and ready.

"God you are so fucking sexy" muttered Sig.

"Less talking" said Natalie.

Hooking her fingers into Sig's waistband she tugged his pajama pants down to his knees. He was hard and hot in her hand and she gave him a little squeeze.

"Don't" said Sig through gritted teeth.

Natalie's smile widened evilly and she reached again to tug on him. Sig deftly moved lower out of her reach.

"Enough foreplay" he said.

Their combined moans filled the small cabin. Sig pressed Natalie's knees so her legs opened wide, he watched himself move in and out of her body. The muscles in her stomach tightened with each thrust. Sig moved his hand to her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze before tugging on the nipple. Natalie's hand slipped down her stomach and began to rub her clit.

"You are so fucking hot" said Sig. "I want to see you cum."

Natalie doubled her efforts and a moment later she felt the beginnings of her orgasm. Closing her eyes, she arched her back and started to yell. Sig clapped his hand over her mouth and let her yell her climax into his palm. The tightening of her walls pulled Sig over the edge and he bit his lip to stifle the roar threatening to roll out of his mouth. As the duo returned to earth they settled into each others arms and slowly slipped into sleep.

Three hours later Edgar was pacing the galley. He wanted to go, the first flight out of Dutch had already left and the second was quickly approaching. Deciding to bite the bullet he climbed the stairs to see what the hell Sig was doing. The first thing he noticed was that the door was closed. Deciding that knocking wasn't something he had time for he burst into the small cabin. The noise startled both bodies sleeping in the bed.

"What the fuck" said Sig.

"It's time to get up" said Edgar averting his eyes from Natalie's naked body.

"Fine, we'll be down in a few minutes" said Sig.

"Great, I want to go home" said Edgar as he walked out of the room.

"Well that was embarrassing" said Natalie her head buried in Sig's pillow.

Sig ran a hand over her back, caressing the skin from her shoulders to the curve of her ass.

"But it was so worth it" said Sig.

Sig peppered her back with kisses before turning her over and kissing her mouth. Their tongues tangled as their hands roamed over each others exposed skin. Natalie's hand traced down Sig's stomach but he stopped her before her hand reached her goal. Natalie just looked at him quizzically.

"I want to, but I can't" said Sig. "If I'm not downstairs in the next few minutes he is going to be up here with a bucket of sea water."

"Ok" said Natalie, her voice showing her disappointment.

Sig gave her another searing kiss before he stood and dressed. Natalie followed suit, collecting her clothes and pulling them on. The pair arrived downstairs just as Edgar laid the last platter on the table. Norman gave Natalie a thumbs up, to which Natalie responded to by blushing furiously.

Natalie waved to an ever smaller Edgar from the bow of the boat. She could barely see him through the stack of pots but she knew he was there so she felt compelled to keep waving. Before he'd left he'd given everyone another round of emergency instructions, which made Natalie feel even more wary about being on the boat without him. He'd also pulled her aside and given her Antha's care package. The clothes and rain gear were great, but the best present was a huge crockpot. Edgar had created a metal fastener that kept it attached to the counter. Natalie could clean the inner part of the unit but the base would be secure no matter the weather. Antha had also included a book of recipes. The gift was very thoughtful and Natalie had made Edgar promise to give Antha a big thank you from her. The boat turned and headed out to open ocean. Natalie made her way back inside and up to the wheel house. The crew was gathered up there to hear the blessing of the fleet. Natalie arrived just in time and everyone remained quiet until the prayer was finished.

"To Opies, lets stay safe" said Matt for the camera.

"How about some pre-season interviews" suggested Jason.

The collective groans answered his question.

"Come on guys, I have to do it" said Jason glumly.

Jason gave each of the guys a pleading look before finally landing on Natalie.

"Please Natalie, I'm begging you" said Jason.

"Fine, no need to beg" said Natalie.

"You can do her interview up here" said Sig.

"Um, no offense but we usually get better content if we're alone" said Jason.

Sig turned slowly, fixing his glare on Jason. The look caused Jason to take a small step back.

"It's ok, I don't mind doing it up here" said Natalie. "If I want to say something bad about Sig I will. He doesn't scare me."

"Famous last words young lady" said Sig menacingly.


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: I'm on a roll. Thanks for the reviews.

The last few nautical miles between the Northwestern and the fishing grounds were flat calm. Natalie sat at the table with the rest of the guys eating what would probably be their last hot meal until all the pots were in the water. Matt had been helping her make bait set ups, they'd made 60 before they'd run out of room. Natalie knew she would be responsible for not only baiting the pots but making the additional set ups. Matt had given her one piece of advice, don't fall behind. She wasn't sure how successful she'd be working on deck full time but all she could do is try and hope it was enough. Natalie stared glumly at the power shake sitting in front of her. Jake had made it for her and it tasted like chalk.

"You'll need it" he'd said when he set it in front of her.

"Finish your shake Natalie" said Matt.

"It's gross" complained Natalie.

"You'll hurt Jake's feelings if you don't" said Nick.

"Ugh" said Natalie as she pounded down the rest of the drink.

"Ah, good old fashion guilt" said Matt. "Works every time."

He and Nick high fived over her head and got up.

"Lets go bug" said Matt pulling her up. "First set of Opies."

"Yay" said Natalie weakly.

In the ready room they slowly helped get her dressed. Matt taped her gloves to her rain jacket. Nick made sure her pants were tucked into her socks and that the rain pants were over the boots. Her hair was piled into a knot at the top of her head, so when Norman tried to put on her hat it wouldn't fit.

"This isn't going to work" he said tugging at her hair.

"Ouch, don't pull" said Natalie.

Jake came over and pulled Natalie aside. He carefully pulled her hair out of it's knot and quickly separated it into a few sections before braiding it. He tucked the braid under her hat and pulled her hood up.

"Done" he said. "Lets get out there and dump these pots into the water."

The crew followed him out onto the deck, completely ignoring the fact he'd just braided someone's hair in less than a minute.

The crew was halfway through dropping their pots. The weather was cold and the sky was darkening at an alarming rate. Matt had assured her that it was perfectly normal for it to get dark quick during Alaskan winters. Natalie was not assured, in fact, as the wind picked up she was sure there was going to be a massive storm. She was working on more bait set ups while they traveled to the next spot to drop a string. Her hands hurt or rather they had hurt and now they were numb. Natalie wondered if she sliced off a finger if she'd even realize it. She was exhausted, the pace of the deck had slowed for her but not enough for her to really keep up. Slicing through another cod she forced the small hook through it's eye and hung it with the others. The grinder had stopped which meant she needed to put another block of frozen herring in but she couldn't seem to get her limbs to follow her directive. Matt came up behind her and spun her around so she could face him.

"Bug" he said, snapping her out of her stupor.

"Sorry, I need more herring" said Natalie.

"I noticed" said Matt. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine" said Natalie.

"Smile for me" said Matt.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"Smile for me" repeated Matt.

"I can't" said Natalie. "My face is frozen."

"Go to the shelter and get some coffee and warm up for sec" said Matt. "I'll finish up with the bait."

"Thanks" said Natalie.

She stumbled to the small sheltered room and poured herself a cup of coffee. She didn't bother adding anything to it, she just drank it down in small sips until she felt feeling return to her lips. Sitting down for a moment she tried very hard not to close her eyes. She was losing the battle when Sig's voice announced the boat was a few minutes from the next set. Dragging herself off the bench she walked back outside. Matt smiled at her when she returned to the bait station and she made herself smile back. The first pot was in the launcher, Natalie jumped in and handed the bait string to Norman who attached it to the outside of the pot. She slid out easily and went back to make another set up. The process continued until there were only twenty pots left on deck. The guys secured the remaining pots while Natalie made more bait set ups. Matt walked over to her, pulled the knife out of her hand and set it on the magnet before he led her inside.

In the ready room Natalie let the guys help her out of her gear before walking to the galley. Dinner was roast pork, potatoes and carrots. Natalie wasn't sure who'd cooked it but she ate it without tasting anything. Her skin hurt, like it was being pricked by a million needles. They guys were talking but Natalie couldn't hear what they were saying, she was too tired to concentrate. Her head slowly tilted until it was resting on Norman's shoulder. Norman looked over and he shook his head.

"I think sleeping beauty is ready for bed" said Matt.

"No kidding" said Nick. "We've been working for 40 hours. I'm ready for bed."

"You guys have about 8 hours before we pull the first string" said Sig. "Get some rest."

The guys got up, each shuffling towards the racks. Norman scooted over, pulling Natalie with him.

"She can stay in my room" said Sig.

"Unless you are going to carry her up there, I'm taking her to mine" said Norman.

Sig seemed to have some sort of mental debate with himself. Sighing Norman picked Natalie up, settling her into his arms.

"Are you even going to be in there?" asked Norman.

"No" replied Sig.

"Then why the fuck does it matter where she sleeps?" said Norman, his voice tired.

"Fine, take her with you" said Sig before turning and heading back to the wheelhouse.

"Well Natalie, looks like you are coming home with me tonight" said Norman softly.

The next morning Norman carefully sat on the edge of Natalie's bunk. He pushed her hair out of her eyes and rubbed his hand along her cheek. Her cheeks were wet with tears and Norman did his best to rub them away. He'd woken when Jake had opened the door to tell them there was less than an hour to the first string. Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she smiled sadly before sitting up.

"Don't cry bug" said Norman, wiping a few more tears.

"I didn't even realize I was doing it" said Natalie.

"Come on, lets get you out of bed" said Norman.

Natalie tried to comply but found it impossible to actually sit up.

"I can't, I'm stuck on something" she said, her voice showing her panic.

"You probably aren't" said Norman. "Maybe just sore. Let me help you."

Norman gently pulled her into a sitting position. Natalie grimaced as her tight muscles slowly unfurled.

"It didn't hurt this much last season" said Natalie.

"You did a lot less work" said Norman. "You and Jake basically shared a job. Now you are doing it on your own."

"I hurt so bad" said Natalie.

"Lets get you some meds" said Norman.

He reached into the small drawer in the corner of the room and pulled out a bottle of advil. He poured a few into his hand and offered them to Natalie. She tossed them into her mouth and used Norman's proffered water bottle to wash them down.

"Sleep a little more" said Norman. "I'll get you up before breakfast."

Natalie laid back down in her bunk, her body awash with pain.

An hour later Norman shook Natalie from her slumber.

"Time to go out" he said.

"Ok" said Natalie.

She rolled out of the bunk and began to mechanically dress herself. Once dressed she bypassed her breakfast plate in order to make it outside with the rest of the guys. The first pot of the season was off the bow. Natalie watched as Jake threw the first hook of the year, snagging the pot easily with the first toss. The pot came over the rail with a quarter of the pot full. The guys cheered in response and then dumped the catch onto the sorting table. Natalie stumbled forward and into the pot. She pulled the crab that were stubbornly holding onto the pot's netting, tossing them haphazardly towards the sorting table. Once those crab were out she pulled out the old bait set ups. The pot sat in the launcher as the crew waited for Sig's decision. Would they set back or not. Sig put the boat into neutral and waited for the crab count. Once the total numbers were in, Sig decided that 500's were a number he could grind on and told the crew to set back. Natalie reached for the bait set up on the sorting table and hopped back in the pot.

"You need to throw the buoys" said Norman from the hydros.

"Ok, but I need a review" said Natalie.

Nick walked behind her and showed her how to shuffle her feet and toss the buoys one at a time over the side of the boat. The next 18 pots came over the side with much the same numbers. The numbers were good and Sig ordered the crew to drop the next 20 pots at the end of the string. Natalie hopped into each of those pots and baited them easily. She was exhausted but determined to prove her worth.

The jog to the next string gave the crew time to grab a quick bite to eat and not much more. The next string proved much less fruitful which meant the crew would be stacking on pots. Natalie worked on getting ahead on bait set ups but was starting to feel sick. After the third time she puked Nick walked her into the shelter and sat her down with a bottle of water.  
"What's going on bug?" asked Nick. "You've never thrown up on this boat before."

"I don't know" said Natalie mournfully.

"Ok, let me get you a cold washcloth and see if you feel better" said Nick.

He returned a minute later and pressed a cloth onto the back of her neck and one to the front of her forehead. She immediately felt better. Jake appeared a moment later to find out why Nick was off deck. He saw that Natalie was in distress and picked up the phone to call the wheelhouse.

"Don't call him" said Natalie.

"He needs to know" said Jake.

"If it was one of you would you call him?" asked Natalie.

Jake and Nick shared a look that told Natalie the answer to her question.

"I'll be fine, just give me a few minutes" she pleaded.  
"Bug, if you aren't out by the next pot I am going to call Sig" said Jake sternly.

"Roger" replied Natalie before forcefully vomiting into a plastic bucket.

Natalie spent the next ten minutes convincing herself that it was mind over matter and that she could get out there and work with the best of them. She heard Sig's voice over the hailer telling them the next pot was in sight. Pulling herself up by her inner strength she got herself out on deck. After a while she just pushed passed the nausea and pain and just worked. Her body had gone into pure survival mode and she worked like the rest of the robots on Sig's crew.

After another 20 hours the crew was back inside for a run between strings. Dinner was on the table but Natalie moved passed it. She was shirking off clothes as she walked and by the time she was at the bathroom she was just in underwear and a sports bra. All she wanted was a shower and nothing was going to keep her from it, not even Jake who was currently using the facilities. Natalie pushed passed him and into the shower stall. She turned on the water and let the still cold water chill her. She didn't care, she just wanted to be clean. Jake was talking, but he wasn't making sense to Natalie's ears. She washed her body and hair before stepping out of the shower. Grabbing a towel she half dried herself before dropping the towel in the hallway and walking into the stateroom.

"Hey, you need clothes" said a shocked Norman.

"No" mumbled Natalie before she vomited into the rooms trash can.

"Oh shit" said Norman as he tried to catch Natalie as she collapsed.

He managed to get her into bed and propped her head to the side with a pillow before covering her with a blanket. He had just covered her when Sig arrived.

"Where's Natalie?" he asked.

"Right here" said Norman. "Something's wrong."

"Jake said the same thing" said Sig walking towards the bed.

He pulled back the blankets and revealed Natalie's naked body.

"Where are her clothes?" he asked angrily.

"She didn't put any on" said Norman. "She came in, she threw up and then passed out."

"She threw up?" said Sig incredulously. "She never threw up on the last trip."

"Well she's done it twice on this one" said Norman.

He explained how Natalie had thrown up earlier on deck but had eventually felt good enough to come out and finish the string.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Sig.

"I don't know" said Norman.

"Can you take the first wheel watch?" asked Sig. "I want to stay with her."

"Sure" said Norman.

Norman turned to walk out of the room but before he was out he stopped suddenly.

"You don't think she could be pregnant do you?" asked Norman hesitantly.

"No" said Sig.

"Because you used protection" said Norman.

"She must have" said Sig.

"She must have?!" said Norman incredulously. "Did you learn nothing from Edgar and Antha?!"

"We never talked about it" said Sig. "We never used anything."

"We need to go back" said Norman. "You can't have her on the boat if she's pregnant. It's not safe."

"We are not turning back" said Sig. "We have deadlines."

"Deadlines?" said Norman angrily. "You'd risk the life of your unborn child for a deadline?!"

"We don't even know that she's pregnant" said Sig.

Norman brushed passed Sig and pulled Natalie into a sitting position while he shook her slightly.

"Wake up Natalie" he said firmly.

"What are you doing?" asked Sig.

"Finding out if we are going to turn back" said Norman.

He shook her again and Natalie's eyes flared open. Norman moved her around until he'd locked eyes with her.

"Natalie is there any way you are pregnant?" he asked.

"What?" said Natalie in confusion.

"Focus, this is important" said Norman.

He repeated the question slowly and Natalie's eyes widened as she began to understand what he was saying.

"No, I'm not pregnant" said Natalie.

"Are you sure?" asked Norman.

"Yes, I had a test done before I did my Coast Guard class" said Natalie. "And I have an IUD. Is Sig worried or something?"

"No, I'm not worried" said Sig.

Natalie's eyes shifted to his face.

"Then why the question" said Natalie.

"Because you threw up twice today and you are currently wet and naked" said Sig.

"I can't have ibuprofen without food, it makes me sick" explained Natalie. "I meant to eat earlier but I'm to tired to chew."

"You need to eat something" said Norman.

"Then bring me one of Jake's gross shakes and I will sip while I sleep" said Natalie.

The conversation came to an end as Natalie rolled over and snuggled into her bedding. Norman and Sig exchanged glances and then both left the room.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Please continue to read and review. I welcome all feedback with eager eyes and a happy heart.

The crew was still sitting around the table finishing up their dinner. They'd completely ignored Natalie's absence and fell onto the food like a pack of starving dogs. The guys only stopped chewing to refill plates, no one was talking. Sig and Norman walked back into the galley and quickly grabbed a plate full of food before it was all gone.

"Family meeting" said Sig as he shoveled a spoonful of food into his mouth.

"Where's Natalie?" asked Jake.

"She's who we're meeting about" said Sig around a mouthful of food.

"Oh" said Jake. "Is she ok?"

"She's sleeping" said Norman.

"She wasn't feeling too good today" said Matt. "But um, she didn't seem that bad."

"Are you going to fire her or something?" asked Nick.

"Do you guys honestly think she can do this job?" asked Sig. "I'm completely serious, do you think once she gets use to the grind that she can keep up."

There was silence for a moment before the guys began nodding.

"She can do it" said Jake.

"Yeah, she just needs to get broken in" said Matt.

Sig gave Matt a look that demanded he explain himself.

"You know, get use to everything" said Matt. "Not that we're actually breaking her or anything."

"We are helping her right now, but she will get use to it and start doing better" said Nick.

"We all had to learn, none of us were perfect right off the bat" said Jake.

"Especially you" said Sig. "Well at least she's making dinner."

"She's not" said Matt. "She never left the deck."

"Who the hell is cooking?" asked Sig.

"We are" said Jason from behind the camera.

He flipped off the camera and set it down on the table. The crew looked down at it, surprised to see the red light off.

"What's up?" asked Norman.

"We are cooking this trip" said Jason. "Chris wanted to make sure we did our best to help the boat. You didn't have to let us back on after what happened last season. We failed to protect you as a crew from one of our own and it won't happen again."

The guys looked surprised at Jason's statement.

"Thanks for having our backs man" said Matt.

"No sweat" said Jason as he picked up the camera. "Back to the grind guys."

Norman walked sluggishly into the stateroom he shared with Natalie. He noticed that she was obviously having some sort of a nightmare. Kneeling down he gently placed his hand on her arm. Natalie's eyes flew open and she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a scream.

"Hey, shh, it's ok" said Norman. "It's just me, Norman. You're ok."

Natalie tried to tamp down the feeling of panic coursing through her body. She studied Norman's face in the dim light of the room and tried to make herself breath normally. Tears spilled down her cheeks and Norman reached for her pulling her into his arms. The blanket fell onto the bed and Natalie began to shiver.

"It's too cold" said Natalie.

Instead of just setting her back down Norman turned both of them into the bed and settled her body into the curve of his own. He reached above them and grabbed a fleece blanket off his bed to cover them with. Natalie snuggled into his warmth and let the tears spill onto her pillow. Norman could feel her sobs and wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"Don't cry" said Norman quietly. "You're ok, you can do this."

"I know" mumbled Natalie.

"What's wrong?" asked Norman.

"I'm so tired" said Natalie.

"It's hard work" said Norman.

"It's not that" said Natalie. "I keep having nightmares. I'm so tired but I can't sleep."

"Sleep now" said Norman. "I'll keep you safe."

Natalie sniffed one more time and then settled deeper into Norman's arms. Within moments her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep.

Norman woke up with a face full of hair and soft warm breaths puffing into his neck. He opened his eyes and sensed that the rest of the boat was still asleep. His internal clock told him that there was probably still an hour before it was time to get up. Natalie shifted in his arms, her leg moving between his. It was an intimate position and Norman could feel himself hardening at the contact. He willed himself to stop, thinking of anything he could to stop the process. A particular piece of hair was tickling his nose and he concentrated on blowing it out of his face. After three attempts he lifted his arm and brushed the offending hair away. Smoothing it back with the rest of Natalie's hair he tucked it gently behind her ear. Her eyes were closed, dark lashes on soft cheeks. Norman ran a callused finger across her cheek to her ear and then down her neck. Her skin was soft and warm. Norman smiled to himself.

"Why are you smiling?" said Natalie into Norman's neck.

"I didn't know you were up" said Norman. "How did you know I was smiling."

"I could feel your face move" said Natalie.

"Ah" said Norman. "How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully" said Natalie. "Best sleep I've had on the boat."

"That's good" said Norman. "You'll need every ounce of energy you've got. Sig wants to turn through the gear and load the back tank today."

"I guess I should get up then" said Natalie.

"We have time if you want to rest some more" said Norman.

"How can you tell?" asked Natalie.

"It's still quiet" said Norman. "When you've been on boats as long as I have you can sense when the energy on the boat changes, when people wake up and start moving around."

"Interesting" murmured Natalie, her eyes already closing.

Norman looked down at her face and snuggled her closer to him. He figured this was his only opportunity to cuddle with Natalie, she was Sig's girlfriend but for the rest of this all too brief night she was his.

The sound of a brief knock and then a door being opened roused Natalie from her slumber. Jake's head popped into the room, yelling it was time for breakfast and that the boat was 20 minutes from the next string. Natalie yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She rolled over Norman and off the bunk. Her feet hit the floor and she started to dress. Norman feigned sleep, watching her through slitted eyes. Sitting on the floor in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt Natalie pulled a brush through her hair.

"Norman, it's time to get up" she said conversationally.

"I know" said Norman.

"So get up" said Natalie.

"I can't right now" said Norman.

"Are you ok?" asked Natalie, suddenly concerned.

She kneeled up and scooted towards the bunk. Norman edged away from her slightly and she stopped frowning.

"What's wrong?" asked Natalie.

"Nothing" said Norman.

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Then get up" she said sternly.

"I don't want to" said Norman. "I will after you leave."

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Natalie, her voice sounding hurt.

"No. God no" said Norman.

He stayed quiet for a moment and Natalie turned back and pulled on a pair of socks.

"Whatever I did, I'm sorry" said Natalie quietly.

"You didn't do anything" said Norman exasperatedly. "I have morning wood and I don't want to get out of the bed."

"Oh" said Natalie, her cheeks blushing. "Well, I'll um, leave you to that."

Natalie grabbed a hair band and rushed out of the room. Once the door closed Norman tried to smother himself with his own pillow.

The deck was starting to pitch as the seas began to grow. Natalie had been told to stay away from the rail for her own safety. The pots were being stacked on, the pot numbers had been fair but not high enough for Sig. He wanted to move to better fishing, farther north. The temperature had dropped significantly and the boat was starting to build ice. Halfway through the second string fishing was shut down so the crew could beat ice off the boat.

"Ok Natalie, lets see if you can swing for the fences" said Matt as he handed her a bat.

"What am I suppose to do with this?" asked Natalie.

"Beat the ice off the boat" said Matt.

"With a bat?" said Natalie incredulously. "There has got to be a better way."

"There is a better way" said Matt, "it's called using a sledgehammer but I don't think you can swing one."

"You're probably right" said Natalie as she watched Nick swinging his.

"Start on the bow" said Matt. "Norman will be with you."

Norman and Natalie climbed to the bow of the boat, the ice was starting to weigh the bow down. As they walked past the window they saw Sig, he looked tired and wary.

"Ok Natalie" began Norman. "Just hit around the letters and I'll do the rest, stay away from the rail."

"Roger" said Natalie, her voice almost lost in the wind.

Natalie's first smack to the boat caused a huge sheet of ice to fall. Norman gave her a high five before pushing the pile of ice off the side of the boat. They were almost finished clearing the bow when Natalie saw a huge wall of water in front of the boat.

"NORMAN" she yelled, desperate to get his attention.

He was on the other side of the bow and couldn't hear her. In a split second she realized that they needed to get off the bow before the wave hit them. She slid her way across the bow and straight into Norman, pushing him slightly into the rail.

"Be careful" he said.

"We have to go" said Natalie, pointing to the wave.

"Oh shit" said Norman.

Natalie turned to head back the way she'd come but Norman grabbed her arm.

"No time" he said.

The sound of the buzzer, and Sig's voice over the hailer barely registered as the sound of the ocean's roar drowned out everything. Norman pulled Natalie with him as he ran around the curve of the deck and onto the port side of the boat. There was a tiny nook and he pushed her into it before shoving himself in after her. They were squeezed under a small overhang, but protected. The impact of the wave made a horrific crash and the boat shuttered. Natalie thought it had split the boat into pieces and they were going down. Water rushed around their feet as she and Norman knelt in their hidey hole. After a minute or two Norman stood up and pulled Natalie with him. They were wet but alive.

"Head check" said Sig's voice over the hailer.

There was a moment of silence before Sig's incoherent yelling seemed to echo across the boat.

"We should tell him we're ok" said Norman.

"What is he yelling about?" asked Natalie as she skidded back towards the bow.

"Probably yelling about losing me over the side" said Norman.

"Oh" said Natalie nodding.

The pair crossed the bow to the starboard side of the boat. Before Natalie could head down the outside stairs Norman steered her into the wheelhouse. It was empty so Norman pulled her back out and led her down the stairs to the deck.

"Don't worry guys I'm fine" said Norman as he reached the deck. "And so is she."

The guys turned to face him and he pulled Natalie out from behind him. For a moment the whole deck seemed to freeze then 4 grown men thundered across the deck to envelope the pair in hugs.

"What the hell happened?" asked Nick.

"Norman saved me" said Natalie.

Norman just shook his head and moved into the shelter to change his rain gear.

"No more leaving the bait station" said Jake, giving Natalie a fierce hug.

"I was fine" said Natalie. "Scared, but in good hands."

"That was fucking ridiculous" said Matt. "This weather is going to shit."

"Lets get through the rest of the string" said Sig.

As he started to walk towards the stairs to the wheelhouse he stopped in front of Natalie. He touched her wet cheek with his hand and shook his head before walking up the steps.

Natalie sat in the wheelhouse with Sig, the guys were securing the deck before coming in for dinner. The weather had picked up to the point where Sig had decided it was too dangerous to fish. Natalie was pretty sure he pulled the guys off deck because of her. Sig had announced every wave that hit the bow for the rest of the set, instructing the guys to keep Natalie safe each and every time. Sig's head looked like it was on a swivel as he turned back and forth between the front windows and the monitor showing the deck. He was on edge and there wasn't really anything Natalie could do about it.

"Finally" said Sig stretching his neck and turning his full attention to the windows.

"Are they done?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah" said Sig.

Natalie got up and stood next to Sig's chair. She reached over and began to massage the crick from his neck. He sighed contentedly and a small smile spread across his tired face.

"Are you going to get any sleep tonight?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know" said Sig. "Maybe if the weather lets up."

"How are your headaches?" asked Natalie.

"The same, pretty much constant" said Sig. "But we're almost full, then we can go in for an offload and I can get some sleep."

"The back tank is full" said Natalie casually.

"I know" said Sig.

"Only one tank to go then" said Natalie.

Sig chuckled.

"If only it was that easy" he said with a sigh.

Natalie's hands slid down Sig's shoulders.

"If you stand in front of me I can give you a better massage" said Natalie. "And standing is good for your circulation."

Sig sighed, but stood stiffly. Natalie scrambled into his chair and knelt up enough to reach his shoulders. Her hands pressed hard into the tight muscles, working the knots out. Sig flinched as she reached a particularly tender spot.

"I got that when I thought you went overboard with Norman" said Sig.

"We were fine" said Natalie.

"I didn't know that" said Sig. "I can't believe Junior sent you to the bow, how fucking stupid can he be."

"Don't do this" said Natalie. "What's done is done and I'm fine."

"But you could have not been fine" said Sig.

He turned around and faced Natalie. She was at eye level and Sig seemed to be trying to stare into her soul.

"I don't want to lose you" said Sig.

He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Natalie gripped the back of his head and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Sig's arms went around her waist, his hands resting on her butt. Natalie's tongue traced the seam of Sig's lips and he allowed it admittance. His hands were just dipping below the waistband of Natalie's yoga pants when noises on the stairs forced them to pull apart.

They were interrupted by Jason jogging up the stairs.

"Natalie, we need your help, Nick sliced his finger open."

"On what?" asked Natalie.

"A can of green beans" said Jason.

Natalie got up and followed Jason down the stairs to the galley.

Nick was standing over the sink, holding a very bloody towel over his hand. Natalie walked over to him and uncovered the wound. It was deep and while not spurting blood it was definitely bleeding heavily. Re-covering the wound she ran to her stateroom and grabbed the medical kit the Coast Guard had given to her. Bringing it into the galley she hoisted it onto the table. Opening the kit she pulled out a couple of chuck pads and spread them out on the table. Next she pulled a suture set out and set it carefully to the side. Finally she pulled out a pair of gloves.

"Ok Nick, the surgical table is ready" said Natalie.

Nick walked over while Natalie snapped on the latex gloves. He sat down heavily and Natalie moved his arm to where she needed it.

"I'm going to clean the wound, suture it closed and give you a shot of antibiotics" explained Natalie. "Do you want something for the pain?"

"No, I'm ok" said Nick, looking anywhere but his hand.

"Alright, I'm going to get started" said Natalie.

She removed the towel tossing it into the waiting trash can, it wasn't salvageable.

"I'm going to irrigate the wound" said Natalie quietly.

Using a catheter of saline solution she quickly flushed any debris out of the would track. Once it was clear she could see that while the cut was deep it was fairly clean and would most likely heal easily. Natalie realized that Nick was flinching far too much from just cleaning the wound so she decided to give him a little lidocaine.

"You're going to feel a little pinch" said Natalie.

"I don't want to hear every little thing you're doing to me" said Nick, his voice strained. "Just do it and tell me when it's done."

"Roger" said Natalie.

Once the finger was numb she quickly stitched the wound closed, 7 perfect stitches. She cleaned the site again with saline and then dabbed a small amount of bacitracin over the site before covering it with a sterile dressing.

"Done" said Natalie. "I'll check it in 24 hours for signs of infection."

Nick looked down at his bandaged finger in surprise.

"That was fast and I didn't feel anything" said Nick.

"Well I did a lot of sutures when I worked at the ER" said Natalie. "It should heal in about 7 to 10 days. Try to keep it as dry as possible."

"That should be easy" said Nick with a roll of his eyes.

"Almost forgot" said Natalie as she lifted Nick's hand and gave his finger a gentle kiss.

"Did you do that in ER?" asked Matt with a raised eyebrow.

Natalie just rolled her eyes in response.

"Now it's all better" said Nick with a smile. "Thanks bug."

"Anytime Nick" said Natalie with a smile.


	43. Chapter 43

The weather cleared a little during the Northwestern's steam to its next string of pots. Sig had figured once more through the gear and the boat should be ready for an offload. Deciding he needed a cup of coffee he grabbed his empty cup and headed down the stairs. Natalie was up early, talking to Chris about the class she took with the Coast Guard.

"You look rested" said Sig as he walked into the galley.

"I feel rested" said Natalie with a grin. "So rested I even made breakfast."

"I thought Jason and Chris were going to be doing all the cooking" said Sig.

"She beat me to it" said Chris.

"Why are you up so early?" asked Sig.

"I just felt like I was ready to get up" said Natalie.

"We still have another hour to two before we get to the gear" said Sig. "Is breakfast still going to be edible in another hour?"

"Yes, it's a yummy breakfast casserole" said Natalie.

Sig made a face.

"Antha gave me the recipe, she said you thought it was delicious when she made it for all of you" said Natalie, her voice full of warning.

"It should be good, it has like two pounds of bacon in it" said Chris helpfully.

"I am sure it will be delicious" said Sig.

"There's fresh coffee" said Natalie pointing to the coffee pot.

"Where is my french press?" asked Sig. "I liked the system we had last season."

"I haven't seen it" said Natalie.

"Oh" said Sig. "That's weird, I'm pretty sure we didn't take it off the boat."

Natalie had an idea of where it was and who took it but she stayed silent. Sig filled up his cup and then returned to the wheelhouse. Jake appeared a moment later and slid into the table next to Natalie.

"Morning Jake" said Natalie with a smile.

"You're up early" said Jake.

"I got a good rest" said Natalie.

She started to run her fingers through her hair, trying to separate the tangles. Jake turned her body and so she was facing away from him and started to detangle her hair. He was gentle and Natalie felt like a little girl having her hair brushed out by her nanny.

"Where did you learn to do that?" asked Chris.

"I have sisters" said Jake. "Lots of sisters."

"Are you going to braid my hair again?" asked Natalie, her eyes closed.

"If you'd like me to, I can" said Jake.

"I would love it" said Natalie dreamily.

Chris kept the camera trained on Jake's hands as they wound through Natalie's hair. He gently separated the sections and expertly braided them together. When he finally finished he plucked a hairband from the table and easily secured the end of the braid before tucking it under itself.

"All done" said Jake.

"That was heavenly" said Natalie. "I think I could go back to sleep, I'm so relaxed.

Chris trained the camera on Natalie's blissed out expression.

"That is a money shot" he murmured as he turned off the camera.

The deckhands of the Northwestern were in full zombie mode, no one was talking. The crew had been working for almost 24 hours stepping off deck only for two meal breaks. The temperature had dropped to bellow freezing and everyone was probably in stage one hypothermia. They only had one more string of pots to go before the boat would be loaded and they could head in to St. Paul. Sig was counting up his crab total for a string when the radio crackled to life.

"Coast Guard this is the fishing vessel Time Bandit, over."

Sig sat up, turning up the radio as loud as it went, the voice on the radio was Jonathan's . While it wasn't odd to hear his voice on the radio during King Crab it was very out of character during Opies, since that is when his brother Andy takes over as captain.

"Go ahead Time Bandit" said the Coast Guard.

"We've had an accident and need help" said Jonathan.

"What is your location?" asked the Coast Guard.

The coordinates were given and Sig realized that Jonathan was just north of where the Northwestern was fishing.

"We have a gushing head wound and maybe a broken arm or something" said Jonathan.

"Roger, we can dispatch a helo now, but based on your location and the winds it wouldn't reach your vessel for close to 15 hours. Do you think the crew members can do basic first aid?" asked the Coast Guard.

"We've done all we can, with the knowledge we have" said Jonathan.

"Roger" said the Coast Guard curtly.

There was a few moments of silence before the radio crackled to life again.

"Northwestern this is the Coast Guard. We need to speak to Natalie Moore immediately."

Sig picked up the radio with an angry flourish.

"She is on deck" he barked.

"We need her to assist on the fishing vessel Time Bandit, it is an emergency" said the Coastie.

"Roger, just a moment" said Sig angrily.

He picked up the hailer and demanded Natalie come up to the wheelhouse. While she was on her way Jonathan's voice filtered into the radio.

"Sig, it's Jon. We can send you a guy or two if you will send her" begged Jonathan. "I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't totally fucked up over here."

"How are you going to send me guys?" asked Sig.

"Larry's filming up here with us, I'll send the guys with him and then you just send her back" said Jonathan.

"We're going in for an offload after the next string" said Sig.

"We can trade them back when we meet in St. Paul" said Jonathan.

"Northwestern, this is an emergency situation" said the Coast Guard, effectively cutting off both Sig and Jonathan.

"Fine, send two guys and I'll get her ready to go" said Sig.

"Roger" replied Jonathan. "I owe you man."

Natalie arrived in the wheelhouse a moment later, looking slightly worse for wear.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Grab your gear, you are going to the Time Bandit" said Sig.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"You're going to the Time Bandit, they had some sort of an accident and they need your help" said Sig.

"How am I getting there?" asked Natalie.

"The chase boat is coming to get you" said Sig.

"Ok" said Natalie. "How much time do I have?"

"Not much" said Sig.

"Enough time to shower?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know" said Sig. "Maybe?"

Natalie looked confused for a moment before she took a deep breath and her face went blank. Sig watched the emotion drop from her face before she turned and walked down the stairs.

An hour later Natalie was standing on the deck of the Northwestern. Sig had started to steam towards the Time Bandit's location in an effort to cut down the distance the Sea Star had to travel to meet them. At first Natalie was impressed by his thoughtfulness but Nick had told her that he was probably just in a hurry to get back to fishing. Natalie could see a faint set of lights in the distance and figured the chase boat was almost to them. She was wearing her rain gear and had a small bag of clothes along with her medical kit. The deck was pitching a bit more than it had been earlier and Natalie was nervous about crossing from one boat to the other. Jake had explained that they would probably use the crane to send her over. The boats were converging quickly and Natalie began to go through her mental checklist. By the time the Sea Star was in spitting distance Jake was tying a safety line around her waist and Norman was waiting at the hydros for the signal to hoist. Sig and Larry coordinated things from their wheelhouses and before too long Natalie was airborne. The actual transfer took less than 2 minutes but to Natalie it seemed much longer. By the time her feet hit the deck she was frozen solid from a combination of fear and cold. Her medical box was next and once it was on the deck she felt like everything would be fine. The duffle bag was the final delivery. Natalie hustled off deck, when she stepped into the galley she met the two crew members the Time Bandit had sent. She waved to both of them, not remembering either of their names.

"Take care of my brother" said one of them.

Natalie just nodded, unsure of what to say. She certainly couldn't promise anything, she didn't even know the extent of the injuries. The two crew members were transfered to the Northwestern and the Sea Star turned north. Natalie walked up to the wheelhouse and sat across from captain Larry Hendricks. The camera man on board was taking some exterior shots of the Northwestern as it shrank into nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon.

"We should be there in a few hours" said Larry. "Why don't you try to get some sleep."

"Ok" replied Natalie. "Um, where should I go?"

"Use any stateroom, the bunks are all made up" said Larry with a smile.

"Thanks" said Natalie.

She disappeared downstairs and quickly found a bunk to sleep in.

A few hours later Natalie was standing on the deck of the Sea Star in what she considered a snowstorm. Larry had assured her that it was nothing and she would be on the deck of the Time Bandit in no time. They were approaching the other boat, the sodium lights gleaming in the distance. Natalie had spoke to Jonathan briefly about what injuries she would face when she got to the boat but he'd been less than helpful. He clearly had no medical training because every time she asked about something specific he had to ask her to simplify the question and even then he didn't have a clear answer. She'd double checked the medical supplies she had, familiarizing herself with where everything was in the case the situation was dire once she stepped on the Time Bandit.

"Natalie, get ready" said Larry over the hailer.

The deck of the Time Bandit loomed just ahead of the bow of the Sea Star. The camera man was filming both Natalie and the boats. The maneuvering necessary to get both Natalie and the stuff on the boat safely was going to make great television. The deck of the Time Bandit was empty and for a moment Natalie thought they were approaching a ghost ship. The door on the deck opened and a lone figure in orange rain gear walked slowly across the deck.

"OK, LETS GET HER ON DECK" yelled a voice over the Time Bandit's hailer.

Natalie walked to the edge of the deck and looked across the chasm between the boats. Someone had told the deck hand how they'd gotten Natalie from one boat to the other because the crane slowly began edging towards the Sea Star's deck. The weather was not cooperating and the pitching decks made it almost impossible to drop the crane to the deck. Natalie jumped up and caught the rope attached to the boom. She tied the medical supply box as tight as she could, double and then triple checking her knot.

"OK" she yelled. "THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, PLEASE DON'T DROP IT."

The figure working the crane nodded and then slowly pulled the cargo to the other side. Once the box was on deck he untied it and moved it under the sheltered awning. Natalie sighed in relief that the medical equipment had made it safely. Then she said a prayer that she would make it just as safely. The boom dropped as low to the deck as it could and Natalie tied the rope around herself before reaching up to grab onto the rubber part of the crane. She closed her eyes and started to count. She could feel her body being lifted and while the rope held some of her weight she didn't trust her knot to hold so she held herself up as much as possible. Halfway over the chasm a wave broke between the boats, pushing them apart. The deck of the Sea Star moved farther away and when Natalie looked down she saw nothing but water. She looked up at the crane and beyond it at all the beautiful stars and thought in a moment of slight panic that this wasn't such a terrible thing to look at before dying. Then her feet hit the deck and she crumpled into a shaking heap. Strong arms picked her up and half dragged her under the small shelter.

"Are you ok?" asked the deckhand.

Natalie tried to say something but no sound came out of her mouth so she settled on nodding.

"My name is Josh, we need to get inside, the guys really need your help" said the deckhand.

Natalie nodded again and started to struggle to her feet. The deckhand pulled her up and then grabbed the medical kit before steering her across the deck and in to the house.

***NOT A CLIFFHANGER, CHAPTER 44 IS ALREADY UP***


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Originally Chapter 43 and 44 were written as one chapter but it was too long.

Inside Natalie was struck by how warm it was. She shucked off her rain gear and sweatshirt. Looking down to take off her boots she noticed a huge trail of blood and decided to leave her footwear on. Josh pulled her behind him through the small ready room and into the galley. The floor was smeared with more blood and there was a steady stream of moaning coming from somewhere beyond the galley.

"How many are hurt?" asked Natalie.

"Two" said Josh.

Jonathan Hillstrand appeared from out of nowhere and gathered Natalie into a fierce hug.

"Thank God, you're here" said Jon.

"What's going on?" asked Natalie.

"We've got two guys and both are pretty badly hurt" explained Jon.

"Take me to them" said Natalie.

Josh lugged the huge medical kit down the narrow hallway occasionally hitting the walls. Natalie was sure there would be dents up and down the whole thing by the time they reached the patients.

"Ok, Fortner's in here" said Jon, pointing to a well lit stateroom. "And Andy is in here."

Andy was across the small hall from Fortner. Both patients were lying on queen size beds being attended to by one crew member each. Natalie went into Andy's room first and stared down at the contorted figure on the bed. There was no immediate sign of distress other than the pitiful moaning coming out of Andy's mouth.

"What's hurting?" asked Natalie.

"Shoulder" said Andy through gritted teeth.

Natalie reached for the sweatshirt covered arm and tried to lift the material. Andy immediately screamed and tried to pull away. Natalie snapped her hand back and scowled.

"I can't help you if you don't let me see the injury" she said angrily.

"It's fucking broken" said Andy.

"What medical school did you attend?" snarled Natalie.

"You are suppose to fucking help me" yelled Andy from the bed.

"I'm not psychic, how the hell am I suppose to know what's wrong if I can't see your arm?" asked Natalie shrilly. "You know what, I'm going to do the other guy first."

And with that pronouncement she stalked across the hall to the other room.

Andy was still yelling obscenities when Natalie crossed the hall into the room Mike Fourtner was currently laying in. His head was wrapped in a bloody towel and he was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Kneeling down Natalie pulled open the medical box and pulled out a pair of gloves and a pen light. She walked to the bed and started feeling for a pulse. His pulse was fast and his breathing seemed labored.

"Hi, Fourtner" said Natalie.

"His name is Mike" said the deckhand sitting with him.

"Thanks" said Natalie. "What's your name?"

"Travis" said the deckhand.

"Ok Travis" said Natalie. "Has Mike been awake at all since this happened?"

"Yeah, off and on" said Travis. "We've been trying to keep him up."

"Good" said Natalie, her voice soothing.

She carefully pulled the bloody towel away from Mike's head in order to examine the wound. It was just above the temple on the left side of his head, the wound track looked strangely familiar. Deciding she needed to clean the site first she gathered her supplies and returned to the bed.

"Ok Travis, you are going to have to be my assistant" said Natalie plainly. "I'll point and you hand me the item, ok?"

"Roger" said Travis.

"Mike, I'm going to lay you down some more" explained Natalie. "I need to wash out the wound so I can see what I'm working with. If this starts to hurt I want you to squeeze Travis's hand. Don't grab mine."

Natalie placed Travis's hand into Mike's and gave him a pointed look.

"Tell me immediately if he squeezes" said Natalie.

Travis nodded. Natalie set up her supplies on a chuck pad. She placed a large stack of sponges on Mike's eye to shield it from the saline and then very slowly started to clean the gash. The more she cleaned the more she realized that the wound wasn't necessarily deep but it was long, it went well past his ear. Once the area was assessed and cleaned she set up her clean field.

"Ok Mike, I'm going to give you a shot of numbing agent and then I'm going to stitch you up" explained Natalie. "You should just feel a pinch and then nothing."

Natalie pulled off her long sleeve shirt which was covered in blood. Her T-shirt underneath was also stained so she pulled it off as well leaving her in just a tank top. Pulling on a clean pair of gloves she gave Mike the shot, waited a few seconds and then started stitching. She was halfway through when she felt someone standing behind her.

"Wow" was all Jonathan could say.

"I'll be done in a little while" said Natalie. "How's your brother?"

"Hurting" said Jonathan.

"Travis, there is a green whistle type thing in the medical bag, can you find it?" said Natalie.

"Is this it?" asked Travis.

"Yes" said Natalie. "Jonathan, give it to Andy, have him breath in regular breaths. It will help ease his pain."

"Roger" said Jonathan.

With Jonathan across the hall Natalie went back to the task at hand. She tried to make the stitches as even and neat as possible. While every fisherman thought scars were cool no one wanted to be disfigured. When the last stitch was placed Mike started to move. Natalie quickly cut the suture line and removed the sterile field and the instruments. Mike's eyes opened and he blinked up at her.

"I'm dead, aren't I" he said. "Are you an angel?"

"You aren't dead" said Natalie quietly. "You're going to be fine."

"You look like an angel" said Mike.

"Thanks" said Natalie. "I'm going to finish bandaging up your head and then give you something to help you rest. But you're going to be fine."

"Thanks angel" said Mike.

Natalie smiled to herself and quickly finished up covering Mike's wound before giving him a shot of pain medicine.

Natalie took a minute in the bathroom to wash her hands and splash water on her face. She tried very hard not to look in the mirror. She imagined her hair was a mess and her eyes were probably puffy but she still had one more patient to attend to before she could rest. Andy had stopped screaming obscenities once he'd had a few puffs of the green whistle, but it wouldn't last forever. Taking a deep breath Natalie opened the door and walked back down the hall.

"I think he's ready for you" said Jonathan when Natalie walked into the room.

Andy was awake and smiling. Natalie leaned over him and looked at his pupils. They were hugely dilated. She sighed and pulled the whistle out of his mouth. It was empty. Picking up a pair of scissors she began to cut off Andy's shirt.

"She's trying to get me naked" said Andy, his voice slurring slightly. "Tell her to do my pants next and then she can put that hot little mouth right over my..."

Jonathan slapped a hand over Andy's mouth so he couldn't finish his thought.

"That whistle is pretty powerful" said Jonathan with a nervous chuckle.

"Yep, but better him telling me to suck his cock then yelling at me" said Natalie.

Jonathan's mouth dropped open at Natalie's use of the word cock. Andy didn't miss it either and he began speaking enthusiastically into Jonathan's hand. When Andy's sweatshirt was off Natalie could easily see the problem.

"He has a shoulder dislocation" said Natalie.

"Can you fix it?" asked Jonathan.

"Yes, but we need a couple more guys in here to help" said Natalie.

Jonathan left the room to find two more assistants. With Jonathan's hand removed from Andy's mouth he started talking again.

"...and then I would just lick you all over" finished Andy.

Natalie grinned down at Andy.

"That sounds interesting" said Natalie. "And I will even let you do it..."

Andy's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"...if you don't scream when I fix your shoulder" finished Natalie.

"I can do that" said Andy. "I've been kicked by horses hundreds of times."

"You should probably learn to get out of the way" said Natalie.

"You're funny" said Andy. "And your boobs are amazing."

His good arm lifted shakily to make a pathetic attempt to pull Natalie's top down. She held Andy's arm down and carefully leaned over him until her mouth was next to his ear.

"I'll let you see them if you don't fight" she whispered into his ear, flicking her tongue out to trace the shell.

Andy shuttered and then nodded vigorously. Natalie leaned back and a moment later Josh and Travis were in the stateroom.

"Ok, we are going to do something called the Cunningham Shoulder Reduction" explained Natalie. "It's going to be easy. Who's the strongest?"

"I probably am" said Travis.

"Ok, you are going to sit behind Andy and hold him in place" said Natalie. "It's important that he doesn't struggle. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yeah sure" said Travis.

"He's all doped up so it shouldn't be too hard" said Natalie. "He also has some incentive to stay still."

She winked at Andy and he nodded his head like a puppy.

"Josh, I want you to pull his arm when I tell you to" said Natalie. "And I am going to massage his biceps and rotate the shoulder back where it belongs. You need to pull the arm slowly but purposefully. "

"What do you want me to do?" asked Jonathan.

"I want you to say the filthiest, craziest, funniest things you can think of to him" said Natalie. "I want him completely distracted."

Jonathan looked at her in confusion but eventually shrugged his shoulders and moved to sit on the bed next to Andy. Everyone was finally in position. Josh started to pull Andy's arm which made Andy jerk forward his body flailing. Travis's arms tightened around Andy's waist and Jonathan begin relaying a story about fisting.

"Stay still Andy, or you won't get anything" said Natalie.

Natalie massaged Andy's biceps while slowly rotating his shoulder back into the socket. She couldn't get the correct angle so she swung her leg over so she was straddling Andy's arm on the bed. Josh pulled the arm, sliding it in between Natalie's legs.

"I can feel her pussy" announced Andy.

Natalie pressed his shoulder hard and everyone in the room heard a thunk. Andy emitted a scream that would wake the dead.

"Congratulations, it's back in place" said Natalie getting off the bed.

Andy looked like he'd just run a marathon, he was sweating and shaky.

"Can you wiggle your fingers?" asked Natalie.

Andy slowly wiggled his fingers.

"Good, we'll work on lifting the arm tomorrow" said Natalie. "I'm going to give you something for the pain and then I want you to try to lay still and rest. I'll be back in a while to check on you."

After Andy was settled Natalie walked out of the room and down the hall to the galley. She sat down heavily and Josh put a hot cup of coffee down in front of her. Wrapping her hands around it she reveled in the warmth. Jonathan appeared a few minutes later.

"He's asleep" said Jonathan.

Natalie nodded and took a sip of her coffee. Jonathan slid into the seat across from her and smiled tiredly.

"So, are you going to tell me how Mike Fourtner got shot?" said Natalie pointedly.

"He didn't get shot" said Jonathan airly.

"He did, I worked in a Seattle area ER, I know a gunshot graze wound when I see one" said Natalie.

"It's kind of a funny story" said Jonathan.

The chuckle died in his throat when he saw the look Natalie was giving him. His mouth opened, then shut, then opened again and shut.

"Well" prompted Natalie. "I can't wait to hear this hilarious story."

"I mean, it's not funny ha ha it's more funny, um" began Jonathan.

"Just tell me what happened" said Natalie tiredly.

Jonathan took a long swallow of coffee and then stared down at his hands. After a moment he began talking.

"The guys were out breaking ice and they were bitching about why we'd come so far north and how cold it was. It was really wearing on Andy and I told him he should just fire a warning shot" explained Jonathan.

"You told him to shoot at his crew?" asked Natalie incredulously.

"No, a warning shot, like over the bow" said Jonathan. "So he goes out and aims at the mast, trying to get some of the ice off at the same time. Anyway one of the bullets ricocheted off the metal and hit Fourtner. It was a total accident."

"I don't see how shooting a gun on a boat full of people and then having someone actually get hurt is an accident" said Natalie. "But whatever, you're the captain. You are lucky no one died."

Natalie took another sip of coffee while pinning Jonathan with a look that said he was a complete idiot.

"So that explains Mike, how did Andy get hurt?" asked Natalie. "Was it kickback from the gun?"

"No, he fell down the stairs trying to get to Fourtner" said Jonathan. "He used his hands to break his fall and he hurt shoulder."

"That has to be the most fucked up karma I've ever heard of" said Natalie with a hysterical giggle.

The excitement of the day had finally caught up with her and she couldn't seem to stop laughing. After a few moments felt like she was going to pass out.

"I need to lie down" said Natalie.

"You can sleep in my bed" said Josh.

Natalie just nodded and docile as a kitten followed Josh to his stateroom.

Josh led her down the hallway, allowing her to stop in to check on both Andy and Mike. Both men were sleeping soundly and didn't show signs of distress. Josh helped her to move the medical box into his stateroom and then showed her the bed.

"It's not much but you'll be warm" said Josh.

"It's fine" said Natalie, her voice tired. "I just need to change clothes."

She cast a glance around the room and realized with a sinking feeling that she never took her duffle bag out of the stateroom on the Sea Star.

"Bloody hell" she said with a groan.

"Are you ok?" asked Josh.

"I forgot to bring my extra clothes from the Sea Star" said Natalie.

"You can wear something of mine" said Josh.

He bent down and scrounged through a suitcase for a moment before appearing with a pair of boxers and a black Time Bandit shirt. Natalie gratefully accepted the offered clothes with a smile. Josh turned his back to give Natalie some privacy. She slipped off her clothes and pulled on the shirt, it fell to just above her knees. She pulled the bottom of the shirt and tied it into a knot just below above her belly button. The boxers were a different story, even with the waist rolled they were still too big. She rolled the waist until the top and bottom of the boxers practically met. They sat low on her hips while still being ridiculously short.

"Ok, all decent" said Natalie.

Josh turned around, his eyes going slightly wide at the sight of her. Natalie's nipples were poking through the material of the shirt like little pencil erasers and the boxer shorts were pulled tight outlining her nether lips. She turned around and climbed into the bed, giving Josh a great view of her ass.

"You can sleep with me if you want" said Natalie sleepily. "I don't want to take your bed."

Josh bit his lip and stifled his immediate response.

"No, I'll sleep on Eddie's bed" said Josh, his voice straining.

"Where is it?" asked Natalie.

"Right across from you" said Josh, tossing clothes onto the floor in an effort to reveal the bed.

"Why didn't you tell me to sleep there?" asked Natalie, her eyes now closed.

"Because, I'm probably the cleanest guy on the boat" explained Josh. "I just washed the sheets yesterday and I'm pretty sure Eddie's never washed his."

"Well if it gets too stinky over there the offer stands" said Natalie, her voice drifting off at the end.

"Oh, ok" said Josh.

He got up a moment later and stood over Natalie's sleeping form. Sighing to himself he pulled the blanket around her shoulders and tucked her in. Then turned stiffly and walked back to the bed across the room.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Thank you for all those who have left reviews. I feel like I've gotten a few new followers to this story and I just want to say thanks for following.

Natalie stretched awkwardly and rolled over to settle back into sleep. Her eyes snapped open when she encountered more space than she was use to. On the Northwestern her arm would hit the wall or the bunk above her, here she was able to really stretch out. She luxuriated in the feeling for a moment before slowly opening her eyes. The room was dark and very warm, Natalie sat up and looked around. Josh was snoring softly in the bed across the room. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she got up and stretched again. She looked down at what she was wearing and cringed. The t-shirt had come unknotted and she looked like she was just wearing a Time Bandit mini dress. Shrugging her shoulders she scooped up her dirty clothes deciding to find out where the washing machine was, after she checked on her patients. Walking down the hall she slipped into the bathroom to use the facilities and brush her teeth with her finger. Then she walked into Mike Fourtner's room. He was still sleeping. Natalie walked forward, sat on the side of the bed and carefully removed part of the bandage.

"Hi Angel" said Mike sleepily.

"Hi Mike" replied Natalie softly.

She inspected the wound and carefully traced along the stitched skin, it was red but not hot.

"What are you going to do?" asked Mike.

"I'm just going to change the bandage" said Natalie.

"How does it look?" asked Mike.

"It's a little red, so I'm going to keep an eye on it" said Natalie. "I'll probably give you some antibiotics, to stave off infection. A crab boat isn't really the best place to have an open wound."

"Yeah well it's hard not to get one" said Mike.

"Um, you got shot" said Natalie, her voice rising slightly. "That is completely preventable."

"It was an accident" said Mike. "I'm sure Andy feels terrible."

Natalie shook her head in response.

"Seriously, it was an accident" said Mike sternly.

"Think what you want, but how do you think Andy would have explained your death to your loved ones" countered Natalie. "Oh we were just fucking around and I shot at the crew and Mike got killed but hey it was just an accident."

Mike sobered at her words and looked down at his hands. Natalie quickly redressed the wound and then checked Mike's pulse.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your pain?" asked Natalie.

"I don't know, maybe a 5" said Mike.

Natalie placed a couple of pills in Mike's hand and looked around for a bottle of water.

"I'll be right back with some water" said Natalie.

"Don't need it" said Mike, tossing back the pills.

"You need water so the pills don't blow out your liver" said Natalie. "And you should probably go to the bathroom before the pills kick in."

"What did you give me?" asked Mike.

"A pain pill" said Natalie. "Nothing major but definitely stronger than a regular Advil. Also you need to drink plenty of water, you lost a considerable amount of blood."

Mike struggled to stand up, but he got dizzy and immediately sat down again.

"On second thought, let me get you something to pee in and you can just stay in bed" said Natalie.

"I'll find something" said Mike, blushing slightly.

Natalie was going to protest but then changed her mind.

"OK, just call if you need me" said Natalie.

"Sure" said Mike. "By the way I don't think a Time Bandit shirt has ever looked so good on anyone."

Natalie smiled over her shoulder and crossed the hall to the next patient.

Andy's room was pitch black, the black out curtains had been drawn closed and secured with a piece of duct tape. Natalie stifled a scream as a shadow rose up from the small dresser on the other side of the room. It was Jonathan, who appeared disheveled and slightly disoriented.

"He hasn't woken up yet" said Jon with a sigh.

"Well, he did have a lot of pain medication" said Natalie. "He'll probably sleep for at least eight hours."

"It's been almost ten hours" said Jonathan.

Natalie looked stricken, she had no idea she'd slept so long. Closing the gap between the door and the bed in a few steps she began examining Andy's all too quiet form. Kneeling on the bed she pulled down the blankets. Andy's shoulder was swollen, which was to be expected. She experimentally poked at it which made Andy wince in his sleep.

"Well, he's not dead" said Natalie under her breath.

She pulled the blanket the rest of the way down revealing Andy's pajama clad legs. Running her hands down the legs starting at the thigh and proceeding to the foot she tried to feel for more injuries. When nothing was noted she decided to remove the pants.

"Jonathan, I need to get his pants off" said Natalie. "And I need more light. Can I open the curtains?"

"Open what ever you want" said Jonathan.

Natalie snapped the curtains open and saw that it was daylight but not sunny. The slate gray sky looked ominous. Turning back to the bed she reached her hands under the waistband of Andy's pants and slowly drew them down. Andy was starting to move, probably due to the change in temperature.

"Andy, it's Natalie, don't move ok" she said gently.

"You're taking my pants are off" said Andy, his voice thick with sleep.

"I know" said Natalie. "I'm looking for more injuries. Does anything hurt?"

Andy smiled and shook his head. Natalie finished her examination of his legs and moved on to his torso and arms. She passed over his right hand and noticed one of his fingers was swollen.

"I think your finger is broken" she said conversationally.

"That happened earlier" said Jonathan.

"Did someone shoot it?" asked Natalie.

"No" said Jonathan defensively.

"So what happened?" asked Natalie.

"I slammed it in the door" said Andy. "I was trying to make a funny exit for the camera guy."

"It was obviously very successful" said Natalie. "I'll see if I can splint it but it will probably have to be re-broken and set correctly. I can't do that for you."

"I thought you could do anything" said Andy. "We should send you back and ask for another one."

"Another what?" asked Natalie.

"Another hot chick wearing nothing but a shirt to fix my finger" said Andy.

"Good luck finding one of those out here" said Natalie. "And I'm wearing boxers too."

Natalie lifted up her shirt and showed them the boxer shorts. Andy and Jonathan's mouths dropped open and their eyes were glued to the lower half of her body.

"On second thought, lets not send her back, this one is perfect" said Andy.

"You are so right brother" said Jonathan.

"Well if you both are finished ogling me, I'm going to do some laundry" said Natalie.

She walked out of the room leaving Jonathan and Andy alone.

"Holy shit, she is hot" said Andy.

"She is off limits" said Jonathan warningly.

"Is that what Sig told you?" asked Andy.

"No, he didn't say anything about that" said Jonathan with a shrug.

"That means she is fair game" said Andy.

"Game on" said Jonathan grinning wickedly.

Natalie found the washer and dryer fairly easily. She dropped her clothes into the washing machine and then walked slowly up to the wheelhouse. She'd expected to find Jonathan sitting in the captain's chair but instead it was the captain's son.

"Hi" said Natalie.

"Oh hey" said Scott. "How's Andy?"

"He will be fine" said Natalie.

"And Fourtner?" asked Scott.

"He will be fine too" said Natalie. "Do you mind if I sit up here?"

"Nope, I'm just waiting for word from my dad to find out where we are heading" said Scott.

"He's with Andy right now, I think he was there most of the night" said Natalie.

"Yeah, I've been on wheel watch since you got here" said Scott.

Natalie sat on the small bench seat behind the captain's chair and pulled the t-shirt over her knees.

"Do you want some socks or something? Your feet look blue" said Scott.

"Nothing fits me" said Natalie. "This is Josh's shirt and it's like a freaking dress."

"I think there are some girls clothes in my dad's stateroom" said Scott.

"Why?" asked Natalie.

"We sometimes have visitors when we are in port and sometimes they leave articles of clothing behind" said Scott, looking slightly abashed.

"They walk off the boat naked?" asked Natalie in shock.

"No, we give them a Time Bandit shirt or something and they leave a token of their appreciation" said Scott.

Natalie raised an eyebrow, clearly communicating that she didn't believe a word he was saying. Scott was saved by having to give any additional details with the arrival of the man himself.

"Dad, do you have any clothes that might be Natalie's size in your room?" asked Scott.

"Um, probably" said Jonathan. "Come on Natalie, lets get you dressed."

Natalie followed Jonathan into the cluttered stateroom. He sifted through a few piles of clothing until he found a small box of women's clothes. Setting it on the bed he motioned for Natalie to take a look.

"I'll um, leave you to it" said Jonathan.

Natalie smiled gratefully and started to sort through the clothes. After pulling most of the clothes out of the boxes she'd managed to sort them into three piles. The first pile was for clothes she could actually use, so far there was one sweater in the pile. The second pile was inappropriate but possibly useful clothing, it was a fairly high pile. It included such gems as lace tops, skinny jeans and her personal favorite, the zebra print mini dress. The third pile was for clothes she couldn't identify. It had more than a few articles in it. She was currently holding what could be a tube top or a skirt. There were also a lot of bras and underwear, all of which she quickly placed back in the box. Setting it down she sighed and pulled on the jeans. They were tight, but she could easily zip them. After trying on three different tops she settled on the fuzzy sweater. Folding the Time Bandit shirt she tucked it and a few other pieces of clothes under her arm and went back to the wheelhouse.

Jonathan and Josh were standing in front of the radio listening to the ice report. Natalie walked in and set the small pile of clothes on the bench seat before resuming her seat. The crackling radio informed the fleet that the ice was coming down and was already choking the northern edge of the fishing grounds.

"We've got to get our gear out of there" said Jonathan.

"We're a guy down" said Josh.

"Yeah, but we're just pulling the pots" said Jonathan. "We can't leave them up there, they'll get dragged by the ice and we might lose them. Those lost pots come out of all our paychecks."

Jonathan pointed out where the pots were on the plotter and where the ice was suppose to come down to. The ice pack would cover the Time Bandit's northern most string in the next few days.

"We're going north" said Jonathan. "Let Andy know."

Josh turned to walk down to the staterooms when he saw Natalie sitting on the bench seat.

"Looks like we're going to do a little fishing before we return you to Sig" said Josh as he passed.

"How much fishing?" asked Natalie.

"Just rescuing a string" said Jonathan nonchalantly.

"From the ice pack?" asked Natalie.

"Not a big deal" said Jonathan.

"Look me in the eye and say that" countered Natalie.

Jonathan turned around and started to speak but the words caught in his throat when he saw what Natalie was wearing. The skinny jeans sat low on her hips and the sweater sat just at her belly button so there was a swath of tanned skin on display.

"My eyes are up here" said Natalie in a sing song voice.

Jonathan dragged his eyes up to hers.

"Well" prompted Natalie.

"You look great" said Jonathan.

"That's not what I asked you" said Natalie in confusion.

"Yeah, whatever you asked for is fine with me" said Jonathan, his eyes returning to Natalie's torso.

Natalie scowled and turned to stalk down the stairs. The jeans were lower than she knew and Jonathan got a great view of the top of her ass as she walked away.

Scotty and Josh were sitting in the galley eating bowls of cereal. A DVD was playing on the flat screen across from the table but the guys weren't paying it any attention. They were deep in conversation about the pot rescue. Natalie walked in and all conversation stopped.

"Damn it" said Scotty. "You look amazing."

"What?" said Natalie in annoyance.

"Those jeans should be illegal" said Scotty.

Natalie looked down at herself and then spun around trying to get a good view of her backside.

"Oh for fucks sake" she muttered as she attempted to pull up the jeans.

"Whoever wore those jeans before, didn't do them justice" said Josh appreciatively.

"God, I should have probably washed them" said Natalie in disgust.

"No big deal, you're wearing underwear right?" asked Josh.

Natalie gave him a quelling look and then walked down the corridor.

"Don't tell me that" called Scotty after her. "I don't have enough lotion."

"Dude" said Josh. "You are a dog."

"Are you fucking kidding me" said Scott incredulously. "Did you see the body on her? She's going to be in my spank bank for the rest of my life. I'm going to be fucking eighty and still rubbing them out to the image of her in those jeans."

"Dude" repeated Josh, shaking his head.

He got up and put his bowl in the sink before heading down the corridor to his room.

Natalie was lying on Josh's bed, the jeans were on the floor in a heap. She was now wearing the sweater and another pair of boxers similar to the pair he'd lent her the night before. Josh didn't have the heart to tell her she probably looked even more delectable to the crew now then when she had the jeans on.

"Are you ok?" asked Josh. "I'm sorry about Scott."

"Whatever" said Natalie sulkily.

"Are you hungry?" asked Josh.

"Kind of" said Natalie. "But I'm not leaving this room until my clothes are dry."

"Want a candy bar?" asked Josh, holding out a snickers.

"Sure" said Natalie.

She took the candy from Josh, daintily pealed off the wrapper and took a bite. After a few bites Natalie started to feel a bit better.

"How long have you worked on the Time Bandit?" asked Natalie conversationally.

"This is my first season" said Josh, sitting on the bed next to her.

"You seem really good for a greenhorn" said Natalie brightly.

"I'm not a greenhorn" said Josh. "I use to work on my dad's boat, The Cornelia Marie."

"Why don't you work on it anymore?" asked Natalie.

"My dad died unexpectedly" said Josh. "My brother and I just couldn't run the boat without the old man and so we are just working on other boats to get more experience before we try our hand at running it again."

"I'm sorry for your loss" said Natalie. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"It's ok" said Josh with a sad smile.

Natalie leaned over and pulled Josh into a hug. When she pulled back both she and Josh had tears in their eyes.

"Tell me about your dad" said Natalie quietly.

"He was a great fisherman" began Josh. "He wanted something better for both me and Jake, but when we wanted to fish he worked hard to teach us everything he knew. I miss him everyday."

Natalie listened to Josh relay the story of his dad's amazing life, asking questions when appropriate but mostly just enjoying the tale. When Josh was talked out Natalie settled back onto his pillow, with him laying beside her.

"How long is this pot rescue thing going to take?" asked Natalie after a while.

"You've got somewhere to be?" asked Josh.

"Not really, just curious" said Natalie.

"It will take us about eight hours to get to the strings, assuming we beat the ice we will just pull the sixty pots, load them on deck and then head south" said Josh.

"Sounds simple" said Natalie.

"Nothing is ever simple on the Bearing Sea" said Josh ominously.


	46. Chapter 46

Natalie stood on the frosted deck of the Time Bandit. She was helping Scott, Josh and Travis clear the deck of ice. They were a few hours away from the northern string which was in peril thanks to a quick moving ice pack. They'd already moved through a small ice flow that had detached from the main pack. The last few days on the Time Bandit had been interesting to say the least. The guys had been very solicitous to Natalie, she'd had breakfast in the wheelhouse and each guy had offered her their warmest sweatshirts. They asked about how she was feeling and she'd been given more neck and shoulder massages in a two day span than she'd had in the last year. While she was sure there was a reason behind all of it, Natalie preferred the ignorance is bliss approach.

"Ok, lets clear the bow" said Jonathan from the wheelhouse. "Keep Natalie down stairs, she can work on the bait table."

Natalie moved where she was commanded and started to chisel away at the thick ice on the metal table. The scraping sound of metal on metal put her teeth on edge. The waves crashed over the bow of the boat sending rivulets of freezing spray all the way to the wheelhouse.

"Watch out guys" yelled Jonathan over the hailer.

A wave crashed over the rail covering the deck in green water. Natalie held on to the table with all her strength as the surge of water threatened to pull her off her feet. It took her a moment to right herself once the water slowed but by then she was soaked from head to toe.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Jonathan.

Natalie raised her hand and then waited for the guys to come down from the bow. It took an eternity but eventually all three guys appeared.

"That's enough de-icing for now" said Jonathan. "Come in and dry off."

A few hours later the boat was slowly picking it's way through small icebergs as the crew sought out their pots. So far they'd loaded two onto the boat. Natalie was fairly certain she was partially frozen. She and Josh were taking turns popping in and out of the shelter, but all eyes were needed on deck to find the small orange buoys.

"I think my eyes are frozen" complained Natalie.

"Open or shut?" asked Scott.

"What?" asked Natalie.

"Are they frozen open or frozen shut?" clarified Scott.

"Um, open" said Natalie.

"Well that's better than having them frozen shut" said Scott cheerfully.

"If you say so" replied Natalie.

"I see it" yelled Josh.

And there it was, a lone buoy off the stern surrounded by huge chunks of ice. Natalie watched as Jonathan slowly maneuvered the boat as close as he could get. Once in tossing distance Travis heaved the heavy hook towards the small amount of line that was in open water. It was like threading a needle, blind.

"Can you get me any closer?" asked Travis.

"Not if you want to keep afloat" said Jonathan.

After nearly twenty minutes of throwing, the hook finally found the line and slowly the pot was brought aboard. Natalie stepped to the table and started to sort the crab. The pot was half full and most of the catch were keepers. It was a small bright spot in an otherwise crappy day.

It took the better part of twenty hours to pull the first string of pots. The going had been slow and by the time the crew walked off deck they were thinking only of bed. But as they walked through to the ready room the smell of roasted meat filled the passage. Stripping out of their rain gear at lightning speed three guys and one girl tumbled into the galley. Mike was standing at the stove stirring a pot.

"Mike" said Natalie in utter astonishment. "You shouldn't be up."

"You guys must be starving" said Mike. "I just wanted to help get a hot meal in you."

"It smells awesome" said Josh.

"Sit down" said Mike. "Dinner is already on the table."

The galley table was piled with food. There was a rib roast, potatoes, carrots, salad and rolls. Natalie scooted all the way in and began serving herself a plate. Once it was piled with food she began eating with gusto, she stopped chewing only when drinking. The conversation around her was just a din, if people were speaking to her she couldn't hear them. Her goal was to eat and then sleep. She was still dressed in her yoga pants and sweatshirt, both of which were slightly damp. Her bag, which was still on the Sea Star, held long underwear, wool socks and hand warmers. The extra clothes on the boat that actually fit her were not really appropriate for cold weather. Her only saving grace was that Scott was willing to give her a pair of sweats. While he was the closest to her size his clothes were still baggy.

"Natalie, I left an extra pair of sweats on your bunk" said Scotty.

"Thank you" said Natalie, then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Where's Andy?" asked Travis.

"He and Jon already ate" said Mike.

"Does that mean we can eat the rest of what's left on the table?" asked Josh.

"Have at it man, you guys deserve it" said Mike.

Everyone helped themselves to the rest of the food before cleaning up.

Natalie walked down the hallway, she'd just tossed her clothes into the dryer and was currently doing her best to keep Scotty's borrowed sweats on her hips. She had already checked on Mike's pain level and his stitches. He was healing well and hopefully the scaring would be minimal. Her final stop before falling into her bunk was Andy's room. From what she'd heard he'd been up today for a couple of hours and had eaten dinner with Jonathan, both were positive signs he was on the mend. Natalie took a deep breath and walked into the room.

"Hi Andy" said Natalie. "How are you feeling today?"

"Oh hey Natalie" said Andy distractedly.

He was sitting up in bed and frowning over some figures on a notebook. Natalie settled herself on the edge of the bed and waited for Andy to finish what he was doing. After a moment or two she laid down and closed her eyes. Andy's eyes swept from the notebook to the sleeping body next to him. He smiled at her choice of outfit. The too big sweats were riding down low on her hips and the Time Bandit shirt was inching up, which combined to expose a huge swath of creamy skin.

"What are you doing here Natalie?" asked Andy softly.

"Checking on the shoulder" mumbled Natalie, her eyes straining to open.

"It feels much better" said Andy. "I can lift it a little more today."

"That's smashing" said Natalie, her voice heavy with sleep. "We'll start some PT tomorrow."

"Ok, whatever you want" said Andy.

"Cheers" said Natalie her eyes still closed, her breath coming slower.

"Get under the covers" said Andy, his voice slightly stern.

Natalie's head bobbed and she deftly pulled the covers out from under her and rolled under them. Andy tossed the notebook on the floor and turned towards his new bedmate. Careful not to strain his shoulder he puller her into the crook of his good arm. Gazing down at her sleeping face, her hair was loose and falling haphazardly around her head like a halo. His smile softened and he settled carefully into position next to her. He had things to discuss with Jonathan but for the moment he was going to take a little nap. His hand gently moved across the softness of her stomach, occasionally dipping into her bellybutton or up to her ribs. He knew she was exhausted and in this exhaustion she was probably completely at his mercy but he hesitated to do anything he couldn't talk his way out of. His eyes closed as the soft sounds of Natalie's breathing lulled him to sleep.

A few hours later Natalie woke slightly, shivering all over she sought the nearest heat source. Curling her body into Andy's side she slipped her arm up through the bottom of his shirt to feel his skin. Her leg slipped between his, her toes slipping into the top of his sock. Natalie rubbed her hand across Andy's fine dusting of chest hair, her hands slowly mapping the contours of his torso. The unexpected massage was causing Andy's body to react. Using his good arm he pulled Natalie astride him. Her face pillowed into his neck and her hot breath puffed into his ear. He pushed his hips up to grind himself against Natalie. His hand slipping into the back of her sweats and encountering only bare skin. Andy groaned in pleasure as he turned his head to capture Natalie's lips in a kiss. Natalie, still caught between sleep and wakefulness responded. Just as Andy's hands began to lift the hem of Natalie's shirt the boat phone rang.

"No" said Andy quietly. "Not now."

He picked up the phone angrily and whispered a litany of curses.

"Sorry brother, but we are skirting the edge of the ice pack and our pots are no where in sight" said Jonathan.

"Fuck" said Andy. "I'll be right up."

During the brief conversation Natalie had moved off of Andy, her eyes were open and she looked very dazed.

"Why am I in here?" she asked.

"You fell asleep while waiting for me to finish some paperwork" said Andy. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh, ok" said Natalie. "Is it time to get up?"

"No, stay here and go back to sleep" said Andy. "I have to see Jonathan in the wheelhouse."

"Everything ok?" asked Natalie, as she settled back to sleep.

"Yep" said Andy with a half smile.

Natalie half nodded and then she was back asleep. Andy moved a strand of hair behind her ear before hefting himself out of bed.

The Seattle rain was sheeting down outside of Natalie's home. Her sister Nicole sat glumly at the breakfast table watching the dismal weather forecast on the television. Edgar and his family had spent the weekend at the house. The children had loved playing in the toy filled playroom and Nicole had loved the life they'd brought to the house. Now it was empty again and seemed destined to stay that way until little Diana got over her cold. Antha had insisted they leave in order to prevent Nicole from getting sick. While Nicole understood the point and she appreciated the thoughtfulness it still meant she was back to being alone in a big empty house. She was never alone. She had people who until a month ago had done everything for her. Now in the quiet confines of this house she was well and truly on her own. Just as she was about to drag herself into a self pitying bowl of ice cream there was a knock at the door. Stumbling out of her seat she walked briskly to the door and swung it open. On the other side, looking like a drown rat in a parka was a woman Nicole had never seen before.

"Hello" said the girl. "Surprised to see me again?"

"I'm surprised to see you at all" said Nicole. "And I'm afraid I don't recognize you."

"You're joking" said the girl. "I'm Bishop, you stabbed me."

"Ah, yes" said Nicole feigning interest.

Her brain fired off a brief recollection of Natalie talking about what happened on the boat at dinner in Costa Rica. None of the actual conversation came back to Nicole, her memory fuzzy at best.

"So what are you doing here then?" asked Nicole, smiling awkwardly.

"I came to give you some news" said Bishop, her eyes narrowing.

Nicole stood quietly waiting for the news. The lack of response seemed to let some of the air out of Bishop's sails.

"Well" said Nicole, prompting the girl with her hand.

"I'm pregnant" blurted Bishop.

"Congratulations" said Nicole. "I can only assume I'm not the father."

"Well thank you very much for stopping by and telling me such exciting news" said Nicole, as she began to close the door.

"Wait" said Bishop, thrusting her hand into the door jam.

"What?" asked Nicole, exasperatedly. "Do you want a medal or something? People have been having babies since the dawn of time so really it's not a special skill or anything."

"Don't you want to know who the father is?" asked Bishop, her eyes alight with malice.

"No" said Nicole. "That's between you and the father."

Again Nicole tried to shut the door. Her brain was swirling with thoughts, all she wanted was a cup of tea and some time to figure them all out.

"It matters very much to you" said Bishop. "You are the reason I lost my job, but I'm going to get it back and make the Northwestern pay."

"Bully for you" said Nicole.

She was about to close the door when she stopped. She'd recognized the boat's name.

"How exactly are you going to make a boat pay?" asked Nicole.

"Well when you are carrying the heir to the Northwestern throne, you have quite a bargaining chip" said Bishop proudly.

"They aren't exactly royalty" said Nicole, chidingly. "They own fishing boat."

"Yeah, well what are you anyway?" spat Bishop.

Nicole's mouth was open, poised to tell this little guttersnipe exactly who she and her family was, then she shut it with a snap.

"You're right" said Nicole. "Good luck with your extortion."

"Sig may think he likes you but once he hears I'm carrying his child he'll drop you like the wench you are" said Bishop.

"You're nothing" said Nicole, her anger bubbling over. "Natalie is a thousand times better than you and you deserve what you get, which I guarantee will be nothing from Sig."

"Well if not Sig, then I can move on to Norman or maybe even Edgar" said Bishop hastily. "I've had them all."

"Then how do you know it's one of their babies?" challenged Nicole.

"Are you calling me a slut?" yelled Bishop.

"I didn't say you were a slut, I just implied that you don't sleep in your own bed very often" said Nicole evenly.

Bishop took a step forward.

"I don't think fighting is good for someone in your condition" said Nicole.

"You know what, you say what you want, it won't matter. I'll have my revenge" said Bishop before she turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry you were offended when I called you a whore, I didn't know it was a secret" said Nicole airily as she closed the door.

Staggering back to the kitchen Nicole sat down heavily on the kitchen stool and replayed the conversation back. The facts of who the girl at the door was began to fall into place. With a sigh she picked up the phone and called Antha's cell phone.

"Hello?" answered Antha.

"Hi Antha, it's Nicole."

"Hi Nicole, is everything ok?" asked Antha distractedly.

"Not really, I just had an odd visitor" said Nicole.

"Um, sorry Nicole, can I call you back. We are in the hospital with Diana, they think she has an infection or something" explained Antha.

"Of course, no it's not emergent" said Nicole. "Give little Diana a big hug for me, I hope she gets better soon."

Nicole quickly hung up the phone. She muttered a few curses and then picked up the phone again.

"Yes, hello" she said. "I need to book a flight to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, as soon as possible."

After the plans were set she trudged upstairs to pack a bag.


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Smut ahead.

Andy stood gaping at the precarious position the Time Bandit was currently in. The boat was surrounded on three sides by ice. Behind it the ice was flowing together effectively choking off the last bit of open water. Jonathan had slowed the Time Bandit to a crawl, trying his best to pick his way through the ice without damaging the boat.

"How the hell did we get here?" asked Andy.

"According to the ice reports the ice isn't suppose to be here yet" said Jonathan.

"Obviously the report is wrong" said Andy.

"Right, well our first pot in the string should be right here" said Jonathan.

Andy grabbed a pair of binoculars and tried to find any sign of the pot. After a moment the boat gave a lurch to the left and then stalled. The sound of alarms blared through the boat and the crew members scrambled out of their bunks.

"What the fuck" exclaimed Andy. "Get Neil."

"He's on the Northwestern" said Jonathan.

"Then we need Fortner" said Andy.

Over the hailer Jonathan bellowed for Fortner to go to the engine room. A moment later Josh appeared in the wheelhouse dragging a disheveled Natalie behind him. The alarm had woken everyone. Scott and Travis had gone with Mike to the engine room and Josh had volunteered to take Natalie to the wheelhouse.

"Mike, I need an update" called Jonathan over the hailer. "Someone pick up the damn phone."

The boat phone beeped and Jonathan held it to his ear, a moment later the alarms were silenced and the boat was moving forward again. Josh took the opportunity to settle himself and Natalie on the bench seat behind the captain's chair. The crazy emotion of waking up astride Andy, then being told to go back to sleep, only to be woken minutes later by blaring alarms was taking its toll on Natalie's psyche. A hysterical giggle burst from her chest causing everyone in the wheelhouse to look at her in wary confusion.

"Are you ok?" asked Josh.

Natalie shook her head as the giggles continued.

"Get her a cup of coffee or something" suggested Jonathan.

Natalie shook her head again, tears starting to stream down her cheeks as her giggles turned into hysterical cackling. Andy walked over to where Natalie was sitting and pushed her head down between her knees.

"Slow deep breaths" he said calmly.

Natalie tried to follow the order and eventually her breathing evened out and Andy released her head.

"Don't do that again" said Jonathan. "It was totally freaking me out."

"Me too" said Natalie, breathlessly.

The rest of the crew arrived in the wheelhouse a moment later. Everyone but Natalie was sent down to the inner bow to listen for any signs the hull was being breached while the boat inched through the ice. Natalie had offered to go with them but after her little breakdown Andy thought it would be better if she didn't crack up in front of the rest of the crew. When they were all gone Andy pulled Natalie up and led her over to the port side chair. He settled her into his lap and continued to help Jonathan navigate through the ice. Natalie's head fell to Andy's shoulder and eventually she fell asleep.

The Time Bandit had finally found open water. Andy shifted Natalie to the side and gave his brother a half hug. It had taken almost 7 hours to make it out of what appeared to have been an ice flow. The first thing they'd seen when the boat emerged was an orange buoy. Scott, Travis, Josh and Mike were all on deck pulling the pot. Jonathan had his fingers crossed that it was the first in the string and the ice had pushed it into open water. Once the pot was in the rack the buoy revealed it wasn't the first pot but the third in the string. Two pots lost was a hell of a lot better than all thirty. Mike worked the hydros for the first few pots and then called up to the wheelhouse to say he had to come in, his head was starting to pound.

"I'll go out" said Jonathan. "Just take over here."

Andy reluctantly passed Natalie to Jonathan so he could get up.

"You want me to put her on the bench or leave her in the chair?" asked Jonathan.

"Put her on the bench, she'll probably be less likely to fall off" said Andy.

Jonathan carefully laid her down, brushing a lock of hair off of her cheek, before he went downstairs to suit up. The camera guy trained his camera on the sleeping girl and then back to Captain Andy who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.

"So Andy" asked the camera guy, effectively snapping Andy out of his daze. "How many pots are in this string?"

"Thirty" said Andy, now focused on the crew on deck. "Yep, thirty more pots and we are headed to St. Paul."

Natalie shivered slightly as she woke up. Her neck was sore and she seemed to have lost feeling in her hands. Sitting up she felt as if her brain was sloshing around in her skull. The boat was in open ocean again and she was mildly surprised to see Andy at the helm.

"You feeling ok?" asked Andy when he realized she was awake.

"I guess" said Natalie. "Why am I here?"

"That's a pretty heavy existentialist question" said Andy. "Why are we here, what is our place in the universe."

"I meant why am I sleeping on this bench and not outside helping to pull pots" clarified Natalie.

"You were sleeping after your little psychotic break" said Andy.

"I did not have a psychotic break" challenged Natalie.

"Whatever you want to call it, you had your 'I'm a crazy lady' laugh attack and then basically fell asleep in my lap" explained Andy. "When it was time to pull pots Jonathan volunteered to go out and help the guys."

"I guess I should go help too" said Natalie.

"They have ten pots left" said Andy. "Why don't you go downstairs and make some breakfast. Everyone is going to be starving when they come off deck."

"Ok" said Natalie.

She stood up, stretching her arms above her head, showing Andy a great view of her stomach. As she stretched the sweats slipped down farther showing the curve of her hip and when she turned to walk down the stairs he saw a peek of her ass crack. Andy bit his lip and shared a knowing look with the camera man. The guy with the camera just shook his head in response.

Breakfast had been consumed and the guys and headed to their racks to catch some much needed zzz's on the way to St. Paul. Natalie did the dishes and cleaned the galley before heading to the staterooms to check on how everyone was feeling. Dragging her medical kit she checked on Mike Fortner first.

"I think you were a little exuberant in heading out to pull pots" said Natalie as she repaired a popped stitch.

"I know, but that's what had to be done" said Mike unapologetically.

"Well at least no one shot at you" said Natalie.

"Very true, but from what I heard Andy had his hands busy" said Mike with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah?" said Natalie. "What was he doing?"

Mike's mouth opened in surprise at Natalie's apparent ignorance.

"What?" asked Natalie defensively.

"He was busy with you" he said plainly.

"Busy what?" asked Natalie. "I woke up on the bench seat at pot 20. As far as I know Andy was driving the boat the whole time."

Mike gaped at her for a moment then his face broke into a forced smile.

"I guess nothing happened then" said Mike with false enthusiasm.

"Pretty sure nothing did" said Natalie.

"Ok" said Mike.

"I have some more medicine for you if you want to take it" said Natalie, effectively changing the subject.

"No, I took some advil, I'm fine" said Mike.

Natalie nodded and then placed all of her equipment back in the bag before turning to Travis.

"Let me see your hand" she said.

"It's fine" said Travis, moving his hand under his pillow.

"It's not" said Natalie. "I saw it at the breakfast table."

Travis sighed and pulled his hand from it's hiding place and presented it to Natalie. His middle and ring fingers were bruised. The cuticles were tinged with dried blood.

"I'm just going to clean them" said Natalie.

She got out a bottle of saline and started to carefully rinse the blood from his hands. They were covered with tiny cuts, so Natalie methodically cleaned and put antiseptic on all of them. When she was done she examined the bruised fingers. She didn't think they were broken and really there was nothing she could do other than give Travis an anti-inflammatory for the swelling. She offered the medicine and he took it without the aid of water. Before she left she placed two kisses on his fingers.

Natalie's next stop was Josh, she found him with Scott in the galley, they were playing a game on the xbox. Natalie watched the screen for a few minutes before the changing points of view started to make her nauseous. She gave both guys a cursory look over and then asked what was hurting. They both responded that their backs were the issue and so Natalie sat behind them one at a time and gave their shoulders and backs a thorough massaging. Josh groaned softly as she worked from his neck to his lower back before she moved on to Scott.

"You know this would work better if you were lying down" said Natalie, pressing on a particularly stubborn knot.

"If we were laying down you wouldn't be massaging my back" said Scott.

In response to his bawdy suggestion Natalie pressed hard into the knot.

"Damn it" said Scott. "That hurts so good."

"You are impossible" said Natalie. "All you think about is sex."

"Well having a girl on the boat that spends her time walking around with her butt crack showing makes it hard to think of anything else" complained Scott.

Natalie dropped her hands and moved away from the table. As she was walking down towards the staterooms she pulled the sweats all the way down giving Scott a full view of her ass.

"Holy Fuck" shouted Scott. "She's never going to talk to me again."

"Totally worth it man" said Josh.

Natalie walked into Andy's room to check on him before she went to bed. He was her last "patient" and he'd already shown he was on the mend so she figured it would be a quick visit. Walking in she saw Andy working on exercising his arm.

"Stop" she said immediately. "Let me show you how to do it."

"I know how to lift my arm" said Andy grumpily.

"Listen, you can't lift it that much at the beginning" said Natalie. "You'll end up re-injuring your shoulder."

Natalie walked around to stand in front of him, she slowly lifted his arm until it was just level. Andy pushed down as Natalie pulled up, he was really trying to weigh his arm down. Natalie however showed nothing, the extra effort didn't even make her break a sweat. After a few reps she let Andy drop his arm and moved behind him to rub his neck and shoulders.

"I'm surprised you aren't in the wheelhouse" said Natalie.

"Jonathan has everything well in hand" said Andy. "How are you doing?"

"Fine" said Natalie.

"Are you sure?" asked Andy. "You kind of freaked out yesterday."

"Was it yesterday?" said Natalie. "I think it was a few days ago."

"Seriously, I thought we were going to have to throw you in a cold shower" said Andy.

"It wasn't that bad" said Natalie defensively.

Andy glanced at her over his shoulder, giving her a look that told him he thought differently.

"Fine, it was bad" said Natalie. "But honestly, in my defense I literally woke up on top of you, then you pushed me off and then the alarms went off."

Andy turned suddenly, pinning Natalie on the bed with his good arm.

"We could start right where we left off" said Andy huskily.

"I think the moment has passed" said Natalie.

"One kiss" said Andy. "Just one."

"Fine" muttered Natalie. "Just one."

Andy smiled wickedly and slid down the bed.

"Where are you going?" asked Natalie.

"One kiss" said Andy. "I didn't say it was going to be on your mouth."

"No!" said Natalie. "I didn't say you could kiss me down there."

"You didn't say I couldn't" said Andy. "It's just one kiss, don't freak out."

Natalie sat up on her elbows and stared down at Andy's descending head. Andy slipped his fingers underneath her waistband and tugged the sweats down revealing nothing but her flesh.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you were prepared for this" said Andy.

"I have one pair of knickers on this whole fucking boat and they're in the bloody wash" said Natalie.

"You know you have a cute accent when you're angry" said Andy, tossing her pants over his shoulder.

"I'm british" said Natalie.

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off by Andy pushing her thighs apart as far as they would go.

"Wow, you're flexible" said Andy. "And very very beautiful."

"One kiss" said Natalie her eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm just enjoying the view" said Andy.

"Hurry up" said Natalie.

"This isn't something you want to rush" said Andy, his thumbs rubbing the inside of Natalie's knees.

Natalie took a breath and blew it out with more force than necessary. This was not a position she'd imagined herself in, but at least she was thankful she'd taken a shower. Andy pulled her to the end of the bed as he dropped to his knees on the floor. When she was lined up he dropped his face so it was even with her pussy.

"You smell good" said Andy.

"Will you shut up and get on with it" said Natalie, dropping her head to the bed.

Andy smiled and dropped his lips to her pussy. He placed a chaste kiss over her nether lips. Natalie let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. But Andy wasn't finished. He used his lips to pry open her lips and then thrust his tongue into her. She bucked hard and Andy immediately used his arm on her thighs to pin her to the bed. He kissed her pussy just like he'd kiss a mouth. His tongue slithered in and out, moving all around her opening before settling on her clit. He lashed it with his tongue relentlessly, determined to make Natalie cum. Natalie didn't know what to do, the whole situation was so unexpected and unbelievable she felt she had no choice but surrender herself. Andy could tell the moment where she let go and once she relaxed he doubled his efforts. His hand dropped to his pants, pulling his cock out of his pajama pants. His fist moved up and down over his turgid flesh, bringing himself to the edge. Andy could feel her start to move against his mouth and knew she was close. Moving his other hand down he shoved two fingers into Natalie's body which set off her orgasm. Her body pulsed around his fingers and Andy felt his own body release, spilling his cum onto the side of the bed. Natalie bit her lip, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Andy's fingers slowed and he slowly eased them out. He climbed back onto the bed, shutting the light off as he went. He slipped under the covers, pulling the blanket up and over Natalie's prone body.

"Thanks for the kiss" said Andy, smacking his lips.

"Shut up" said Natalie. "I'm going to sleep."

Andy collected her naked bottom and settled her against his pajama clad groin. There were a lot of thoughts running through Natalie's head but instead of considering any of them, she just shut off her brain and went to sleep.


	48. Chapter 48

a/n: thank you as always for your patience in my updates. Also the reviews are lovely to read, please keep them coming.

Nicole sat in the tiny plane next to a kid who looked like he was a few seconds away from completely losing his lunch. She bunched up her legs trying to make herself as small as possible so when the vomit came spewing out of the kid's mouth she wouldn't be in the line of fire. The guy across the aisle was watching her with mild interest. She was definitely an oddity on a plane full of fisherman. Nicole was wearing her favorite traveling ensemble, a long jersey dress and sweater. Her coat was laying casually on her lap. She'd packed a bag, using mostly Natalie's clothes and headed out the door to the airport. Since she was traveling under the guise of being Natalie she used her credit card and passport to procure the tickets and board the plane. Her plan thus far was going well. She'd gotten out on the first flight to Anchorage and now she was on the plane heading to Dutch Harbor. She'd tried Natalie's cell a dozen times and each time it said the user was out of the service area. The kid next to her suddenly lurched out of his seat in a mad dash to the back of the plane.

"I don't think he's going to make it" said the guy across the aisle.

"Possibly not" replied Nicole.

"So, why are you heading to Dutch?" asked the guy.

"Um, just delivering some news" said Nicole.

"You're flying all the way to Dutch to deliver news?" said the guy incredulously. "It must be some important news."

"It is" said Nicole firmly.

She was sure she was doing the right thing, some guy on a plane wasn't going to make her question her decision.

"Have you been to Dutch before?" asked the guy.

"Nope" said Nicole.

"It's kind of a rough place, you might need someone to show you around" suggested the guy.

"Hm, are you offering?" asked Nicole with a smile.

"Yes" said the guy.

"Is it easy to get lost in Dutch?" asked Nicole in her most innocent voice.

"Um, sure" said the guy. "It can be."

"Shut up Manny" said his seat mate. "Listen lady, it's a tiny place. Get in a cab tell the driver who you want to find and they will take you to them."

"That's easy" said Nicole.

"Or you could just ask us and we'll get you to the right place" said Manny helpfully.

Nicole stalled, she didn't really know who she could ask for without being forced to answer more questions.

"Seriously" said a guy in the seat in front of her. "She's obviously with Discovery. When have you ever seen a girl of this flight that wasn't part of their crew."

Nicole alighted on the idea and smiled broadly.

"That's it, give the man a cigar" said Nicole happily.

"Well if that's who you're with, just head to the Aleutian Hotel" said Manny.

Nicole gave Manny a dazzling smile and said thank you as her vomiting seat mate returned just in time for the landing.

Nicole stepped off the plane and casually collected her bag. Her heeled boots slipping slightly on the icy tarmac. The line of cabs waited outside the small terminal building and Nicole easily found her way to the Aleutian Hotel. Inside the hotel Nicole shrugged off her snow covered jacket and shook it off. Glancing around the lobby she spotted the bar and decided to get something to warm her up. Scooting onto a barstool she carefully folded her coat and balanced it on top of her rolling suitcase.

"What can I get for you?" asked the bartender.

"Um, I suppose a hot toddy" said Nicole as she looked up.

The bartender's eyes widened and then a frown crossed her face.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Did they do something to you?"

"Did who do what?" asked Nicole.

"You know what I'm talking about" said Kale. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Nicole was about to retort but stopped.

"Do you think I'm Natalie?" she asked.

"Of course you're Natalie" said Kale.

"But I'm not" said Nicole. "I'm looking for her."

Kale took a moment to study the girl in front of her. The eyes and facial features were exactly the same. The hair was maybe a little longer and this girl had slightly bigger boobs. Kale also couldn't imagine Natalie walking around Dutch in high heeled boots.

"Who are you?" asked Kale after a moment.

"I'm Natalie's sister Nicole, her twin sister" explained Nicole.

"What are you doing in Dutch Harbor?" asked Kale. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, kind of" said Nicole.

It took Nicole a few moments to get her thoughts in order and explain what happened with Bishop.

"So, why didn't you call?" asked Kale.

"Because I didn't have a number and then I couldn't ask Antha because the baby is sick" said Nicole, her voice showing her frustration.

"I mean, it's nice that you came all the way up here but while Bishop is kind of a weirdo, I don't think she's an immediate danger to the crew" said Kale.

"I think Natalie and Sig should be the judge of that" said Nicole harshly. "I feel like she is a bit more than just weird. I think she is a crazy psycho. I mean why else would you go to the house of the girl who stabbed you in the leg to tell her your pregnant. She is not right in the head."

"I got it" said Kale. "You're worried about your sister."

"Yes" said Nicole. "Now I just need to know how to get to her."

"She's on the Northwestern in the middle of the Bearing Sea" said Kale.

"But they must come here for supplies and stuff" said Nicole. "They left from here, they must come back."

"They do most of their offloads at St. Paul harbor during Opies" said Kale.

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand most of those words" said Nicole.

"They don't come back to Dutch until the end of the season unless they run low on supplies or need to make a repair" said Kale.

"So how can I get to St. Paul?" asked Nicole.

"Um, I have no idea" said Kale. "Maybe one of the other boats is here for repairs and you can hitch a ride when they go back to the fishing grounds."

"That sounds promising" said Nicole, cheering up a little.

"Yeah, while in theory it sounds like an easy plan, I have no idea if any boats are actually here. We'll have to call around" said Kale. "And then most boats don't take passengers."

"What about the coast guard?" asked Nicole. "Natty seemed pretty chummy with them."

"You can't ask the coast guard to drop you off at St. Paul" said Kale, incredulously.

"Why not, they are there to protect and serve" insisted Nicole.

"No, that's the police" said Kale. "The coast guard motto is always ready."

"So they should be ready to take me" said Nicole.

"What planet are you from?" said Kale, her voice rising. "They don't just pick people up and take them places. They aren't a fucking car services."

"Don't yell at me" said Nicole.

"You don't seem to have any sense of reality" said Kale. "You couldn't be more different than Natalie if you were a.."

"I don't need you" snapped Nicole. "And I know we are very different, I hear it all the bloody time."

Nicole picked up her suitcase and began to stalk out of the bar. Kale muttered a curse and quickly followed her. She reached her just before she reached the front doors.

"Listen, sorry I was a little harsh" said Kale.

"I'm listening" said Nicole, her brow creased in anger.

"Here is the key to my apartment" said Kale. "Or you can stay here in the hotel. Either way I'll help you find a way to reach the Northwestern."

"Thank you" said Nicole. "I'll probably just book in here, since it's less of a bother."

"Ok" said Kale. "I get off in less than two hours. I'll come to your room."

"That sounds fine" said Nicole.

"Alright, see you in a few hours" said Kale.

Nicole nodded and walked back towards the reception desk while Kale returned to the bar.

Sig cursed loudly as the St. Paul harbor master once again informed him the harbor was still closed. It had been twelve hours since the Northwestern had reached St. Paul only to be told the harbor was iced in. Large rolling waves continued to push the ice into the docks, trapping the boats already tied up. The prognosis of the ice loosening enough to reopen was looking bleak. Sig could steam to Dutch to unload but it wouldn't make sense to waste that much fuel unless the harbor was going to be closed more than the four days it would take him to make the round trip. The chatter on the radio was discussing the harbor closure. The captains were weighing the pros and cons of waiting out the ice. Sig was still confident his pots would be safe even if the ice continued to descend at it's current rate of speed. However, if it started to cover more ground then predicted he might be in trouble. His musings were cut off by the ringing of the SAT phone. He glanced at the number and realized it was Trident.

"Hello" answered Sig.

"Sig, this is Pete from Trident" said the voice.

"Hey Pete, we're still waiting to get into St. Paul" said Sig.

"Yeah, everyone is" said Pete with a sigh. "But that's not why I'm calling. There is someone here who, um, needs to speak with you."

"Ok" said Sig. "Put them on."

"Hello Sig" said a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Who is this?" asked Sig.

"It's Nicole" said the voice. "I have some urgent news and I need to speak to Natalie."

"Nicole, where are you?" asked Sig, his blood pressure rising.

"I"m in the fish office" said Nicole.

"In Dutch?" asked Sig.

"Of course not" said Nicole.

Sig let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"It's a different island, Acutane or something" said Nicole.

Sig felt his heart literally stop and then restart painfully.

"Sig?" asked Nicole. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here" said Sig.

"I need to speak with Natty urgently" said Nicole.

"You can't" said Sig.

"Why the hell not" said Nicole.

"She's not here" said Sig simply.

"Well could you retrieve her so I can speak to her" said Nicole.

"I mean she's not here on the boat" said Sig, his voice quieting slightly.

"Where is she?" asked Nicole. "This man Pete said you were waiting for some harbor to open, so where could she be if she's not on the boat."

"She's on the Time Bandit" said Sig.

"What's a Time Bandit?" asked Nicole. "Is it here where I am?"

"No, it's another boat" said Sig.

"Why is she on another boat?" asked Nicole.

"Listen, I don't have time for 20 questions" said Sig impatiently.

"You don't?" snapped Nicole. "According to Pete, your just sitting in your boat waiting for the ice to melt, so really what don't you have time for. You can answer me, as to why my sister has been given to another boat."

"It's not like that" said Sig defensively.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE SIG AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER" yelled Nicole.

"You know what?! We are coming to pick you up" announced Sig. "Get your stuff and meet me at the processor on Akutan in two days. Pete will call you when we get there."

Sig promptly hung up the phone and then told the guys to pull up the anchor. The Northwestern was going to Dutch to offload.

Back in the cramped offices of Trident Nicole handed the phone back to Pete.

"Um, he said you'd call" began Nicole.

"Oh I heard what he said" said Pete. "I'll give you a call in a couple of days."

"Here's my number at the hotel" said Nicole. "Or you could just message me on Facebook, I have my ipad with me all the time."

"Sure. Either way I'll let you know when the Northwestern arrives" said Pete.

Nicole and Kale walked back to the car. Once inside and on their way Nicole sighed.

"I don't feel like that went very well" she said quietly.

"Well, he's coming to pick you up" said Kale helpfully. "It's what you wanted."

"But Natalie isn't with him" said Nicole. "I don't want to be on the boat without her."

"You'll be fine" said Kale. "Sig won't let anything happen to you."

"I guess" said Nicole her voice uncertain.

Now that the plan was set in motion Nicole was starting to regret her decision to come up to Dutch.

Kale turned into the Aleutian Hotel employee parking lot and turned off the car. She turned to Nicole, who was staring forlornly down at her hands. Kale sighed and then turned the car back on.

"Where are we going?" asked Nicole.

"Lets go have some drinks bought for us from drunk fisherman with money to burn" said Kale.

"What?" said Nicole.

"The Thirsty Isle is the best little dive bar in Dutch" said Kale. "And tonight is karaoke night, do you sing?"

"A little" said Nicole with a sly smile.

Some male attention was just what this girl needed.

The Thirsty Isle was busy when the girls arrived. They were both dressed casually in jeans and blouses but all heads turned to watch their arrival. The second their cute butts hit the seats the drinks started pouring in. Kale introduced Nicole to the guys as they approached. Nicole turned into a totally different person, this was her element. She smiled a gleaming white smile and repeated each guys name back to him in an effort to commit the name to memory. She flirted shamelessly, commenting on their hair, clothes or accent. After a few hours Kale was glad that Nicole had insisted on getting her own hotel room because she was pretty sure Nicole would be bringing home a few friends back to her place by the nights end. The announcement for karaoke was made and Nicole slid off her barstool and went up to select a song. When she came back she smiled at the bartender and asked him for a cup of hot tea. It took the guy a while to find the tea bags but he managed.

"Done drinking?" asked Kale.

"No, I always have tea before I sing" said Nicole.

"Oh, do you do this a lot?" asked Kale, wondering if there were professional karaoke singers where Nicole lived.

Her question was answered when Nicole's name was called and she headed to the stage. Standing facing the crowd she smiled and waved to a few of her admirers. Then she opened her mouth and gave the crowd the most pitch perfect, compelling rendition of Aerosmith's Dream On. When she finished there was a moment of silence and then the whole bar erupted into ear splitting whistles and applause. Nicole gave a little bow and returned to her seat.

"That was amazing" said Kale.

"Thanks" said Nicole. "I like that song."

"No, you were amazing" said Kale. "I've never heard anyone sing that well."

"I'll let you in on a little secret" said Nicole.

Kale leaned forward expecting Nicole to whisper in her ear.

"I've been professionally trained" said Nicole while sipping her tea.

"Oh, yeah I kind of figured" said Kale.

"Do you think they'll mind if I signed up for more than one turn?" asked Nicole, as her eyes scanned through the crowd.

"No" said Kale simply.

"Ok, order me another tea please" said Nicole happily. "I'm going to sign up for another few songs."

Kale waved her on her way and signaled the bartender.

"Another tea please" said Kale.

"Who's your friend" said the bartender.

"Her name is Nicole" said Kale.

"She's got a great set of pipes" said the bartender. "She looks kind of familiar though, does she live in Dutch?"

"No, she's just visiting" said Kale.

"Hm, too bad" said the bartender.

"Yeah" said Kale, suddenly very aware of everyone watching Nicole.

Nicole smiled down from the stage where she belted out "At Last" that would have made Etta James proud. When she returned to her seat Kale passed her the cup of tea.

"Thanks" said Nicole.

"You are acquiring a lot of attention" warned Kale.

"I know" preened Nicole. "I love it! Like a male candy store and me with a black Amex."

"Well as long as you know what you're doing" said Kale.

"I certainly know what I'm going to be doing later" said Nicole with a saucy wink.

Nicole smiled down at the men sleeping in her bed. She was deliciously sore and desperately in need of a hot shower. Rolling over the dark haired one she scooted off to the bathroom. While the hot spray loosened her sex exhausted muscles she wondered if the two guys had even known each other before they'd tumbled into her bed. She sort of doubted it but she hadn't had time to make proper introductions. Stepping out of the shower she was met by the blond guy, she really should try to be better with names.

"You have a phone call" he said, as his eyes raked over her body.

"Thank you" replied Nicole, wrapping the towel around her dripping body.

She scooted over to the bed and sat demurely on the corner.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Nicole, it's Pete. The Northwestern is in Akutan unloading."

"Let me get a pad of paper so I can get an address" said Nicole.

She pulled out the drawer looking for the small notebook which was usually standard in these types of hotels. When she came up empty she dropped the towel and scrambled to the other side of the bed, waking brown hair in the process. He slipped his hand up to cup her butt but she just kept on rooting through the drawer. Coming up empty again she went back to the phone.

"Pete, I can't find a piece of paper" said Nicole.

"Just tell whoever drives you to take you to the Trident processing dock" said Pete.

"Oh, ok" said Nicole. "I can remember that."

"One would hope" muttered Pete. "You have less than twelve hours before the boat leaves."

"Thank you" said Nicole.

Nicole hung up the phone and turned to face her guests.

"Well boys I don't mean to be rude but I have a boat to catch" said Nicole with a smile.

"Who's boat?" asked Blondie.

"Doesn't matter" said Nicole. "It just means I have just enough time for a sandwich."

"Where do you want to eat?" asked Brownie.

"Oh, who said anything about eating?" said Nicole with a wicked grin.


	49. Chapter 49

Andy Hillstrand was having the most wonderful dream. He was pulling full pots of crab on a boat in the Mexican Riviera. He knew it was a dream because at no time was it possible to pull pots in nothing but a pair of trunks. Natalie was there, in a swim suit holding up the crab count on a large white card. It was strange but wonderful. Andy hoped the dream would never end. Then his brain reminded him that he had the real Natalie in bed with him, on the Time Bandit, right now. And if he was lucky she would still not be wearing pants. He hardened at the thought and began to try to pull himself out of the dream. He woke up with a start and then leaned over to spoon his sexy bedmate, only to find that side of the bed empty. He felt the blankets, they were still warm. With a silent swear he laid back down covering his eyes with his forearm. He heard the door open.

"Come back to bed" said Andy.

"Um, I'd love to, but Jonathan wanted me to tell you that we are almost to St. Paul" said Josh Harris.

Andy moved his arm slowly, trying to think of a way to make the situation less embarrassing. When no immediate thought came to mind he just nodded. Josh took that as a dismissal and turned to walk out of the room.

Natalie sat in the galley wordlessly stirring her coffee. She had been mildly shocked to find herself bottomless in Andy Hillstrand's bed. The events of the previous evening had come back to her in a rush and she felt the overwhelming need to get the hell out of there. Finding there was really no where to go on a boat she'd poured herself a cup of coffee and just sat down. Josh had passed her on the way to the staterooms and announced they were almost to St. Paul. Natalie wondered if Sig was there waiting for her. She hadn't heard anything from him since she got onto the Sea Star. Of course he was busy, so really she had no right to expect him to put his fishing on hold to call her on the radio. Plus that would out their pseudo-relationship to the whole fleet. Her head was still spinning when Josh slid into the seat across from her.

"A penny for you thoughts?" he said quietly.

"Not really worth a penny" said Natalie.

"You seem sad" said Josh.

"I'm kind of numb" said Natalie.

"Everyone gets that way out here" said Josh. "If it's not the cold numbing you from the outside it's the exhaustion numbing from the inside."

"You have a very poetic soul" said Natalie thoughtfully.

"Thanks" said Josh with a half smile.

Andy sauntered into the kitchen a moment later looking like the cat that ate the canary. He smiled at Josh and gave Natalie an exaggerated wink. Natalie scowled at him in response then dropped her eyes to her coffee cup.

"What's for breakfast?" asked Andy. "I'm starving."

"There are some eggs and potatoes on the stove and some english muffins next to the toaster" answered Josh.

"Excellent" said Andy.

He fixed himself a plate and slid in next to Natalie. She moved over slightly to give him a little more room.

"Your shoulder seems like it's feeling better" said Natalie.

"It feels better" said Andy. "And that has everything to do with you."

Natalie smiled slightly and turned back to her coffee. Her mental musings were interrupted by Jonathan's disembodied voice on the hailer.

"We need to break some ice asap, we are close to listing" said Jonathan.

"Fuck" said Andy. "Put your gear on and get out there. This is the last thing we need on this trip."

Josh hopped up quickly and extended a hand to Natalie. She slid around to the other side of the booth and got up.

"Put on an extra layer or two, it's going to be cold out there" said Andy. "I wouldn't want you getting anything frost bitten."

"Thanks for your concern" said Josh.

Natalie laughed into her hand and followed Josh into their stateroom.

The wind whipped Natalie's hair as she stepped out on deck. She hurried to pull her hood on. The deck was covered in ice and while the majority of the pots had been dropped there were still a few on deck. The pots looked like ice sculptures. Natalie slid across the deck towards the sorting table. Josh handed her a metal pole with a smile.

"Ok, all you have to do is your best" said Josh. "The sledge swingers will do most of the work."

"Not a problem" said Natalie. "I'm a bit stronger than you give me credit for."

"I have no doubt" said Josh.

"Less chatting more breaking" said Scotty from behind Natalie.

"Roger" chorused Josh and Natalie.

Travis, Scott and Josh used sledge hammers and Natalie used the long metal pipe to break the ice off the railings and the deck itself. Eventually the broken ice started to stack up and Natalie was upgraded to ice shoveler. It was back breaking work and it seemed like every single time Natalie got close to the railing she got soaked. The boat cut through growing seas and as the day grew later the sky began to glow red.

"That looks ominous" said Natalie.

"No, it's great" said Travis.

"How do you figure?" asked Natalie.

"There is a famous saying 'Red skies in the morning, sailor take warning. Red skies at night, sailors delight'" explained Travis.

"What sort of delight?" asked Natalie.

"Who knows" said Travis. "But it's nothing bad."

Natalie looked skeptical but just went back to shoveling ice. The hours passed, after a while she literally lost all thoughts and just focused on moving the ice off the boat. Josh tapped her on the shoulder startling her back to the present.

"Oh shit, sorry" said Josh. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's ok" said Natalie. "I was just wool gathering."

"Lets get you a little warmed up" said Josh.

"Ok" said Natalie.

In the wheelhouse Andy saw Josh pull Natalie into the bow shelter and hand her a cup of coffee. The last place he wanted to see Natalie was out on deck in subzero temperatures but what could he do, the crew was short handed even with her out there. Mike Fortner sat on the bench seat looking forlornly at the deck.

"Fourtner, if you want to go out there you are more than welcome" said Andy.

"Natalie told me in no uncertain terms I was not allowed to go out on deck" said Mike. "I popped two stitches last time."

"What is she going to do to you?" challenged Andy.

"She said something about cutting off my balls" said Mike.

"If that's the case I wouldn't risk it" said Andy with a chuckle.

"No joke" said Mike.

"Besides, they are almost done" said Andy. "And we are pretty close to St. Paul."

"Awesome" said Mike.

Andy turned his attention back to the deck and was surprised when he couldn't see Natalie or Josh. His brows wrinkled and he called for Mike to take over.

"Dude, if Natalie's going to cut my balls off for going outside, I'm pretty sure that she would do the same for you" said Mike.

Andy stopped and then walked back to the captain's chair. He picked up the phone and buzzed Jonathan's room.

"Hey brother, can you go out and see how the guys are doing" asked Andy. "Thanks."

Mike wanted to find out what had gotten under Andy's skin. He looked outside and saw Josh and Natalie emerge from the sauna. From the clench in Andy's jaw, Mike realized exactly what had gotten under Andy's skin.

"Can I get you some coffee?" asked Mike.

"Huh?" said Andy, his attention pulled from the deck.

"Coffee, do you want some?" repeated Mike.

"Thanks, that would be great" said Andy distractedly.

Jonathan appeared on deck a moment later and walked over to where the crew was breaking ice. He spoke briefly and pointed to the wheelhouse and shrugged. Then he turned around and hustled back inside.

Finally back in the house Natalie shrugged out of her rain gear. Her muscles were sore and her head was pounding. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower and fall into a deep sleep. Josh took her gear from her hands and hung it up on the same hook as his.

"Ready to eat?" asked Josh.

"Not really" said Natalie. "I just want to shower and sleep."

"You need to eat" said Josh. "You probably burnt a couple thousand calories working that shovel."

"What's for dinner?" asked Natalie.

"Um, I don't know" said Josh. "Lets go find out."

The pair walked the short distance to the galley and was greeted by two huge pans of lasagna, salad and lots of bread.

"Maybe I will eat, this looks delicious" said Natalie.

Scotty appeared in low slung pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"I got your new set of clothes" said Scott with a smirk. "They are on your bed."

"Ok, thanks" said Natalie.

"I think Travis is in the shower right now, but he'll be done soon" said Scott.

"So I guess I should go take my shower" said Natalie. "Don't eat all the food before I get back."

"We'll keep something warm for you" said Josh.

Natalie gave him a broad smile and then turned to walk down the hall. Her progress was impeded by Andy's broad chest.

"Sorry Andy" said Natalie. "I didn't see you there."

"You seem distracted" said Andy sternly.

"Probably just exhaustion" said Natalie.

"Hmph" said Andy.

"How's your shoulder feeling?" asked Natalie, her hand slipping to his collar to pull it to the side.

"I thought you were going to shower?" said Andy, his voice frosty.

"You're right, I was" said Natalie, her voice showing her confusion.

She pushed passed Andy and trudged down the hall. Once she was gone Andy served himself a plate and sat down grumpily at the table. Josh and Scotty shared a look, then filled their own plates and began eating quietly.

Natalie, stood in a towel staring opened mouth at the stack of clothes sitting on her bed. There was some sort of dress from the box of clothes in Jonathan's room and a sweater. Her eyes narrowed as she held up the dress to her. It would fit, but certainly not leave a lot to the imagination. With a shrug Natalie dropped her towel and slipped into the dress. Without underwear or a bra the dress looked like a hookerish nightgown. But the fabric was soft and it smelled freshly washed. She figured she would eat, then do her laundry and change once her clothes were finished. When she sat down on the bed to put her socks on she realized how tired she was and decided to close her eyes just for a minute.

"Natalie, your dinner is getting cold" said Josh as he walked into the room. "Whoa."

He found Natalie laying on the bed, her feet still on the floor, legs akimbo. He took a step closer and studied her. The soft rise and fall of her chest told him she was still alive. Josh studied her outfit, he couldn't tell if it was a dress or a nighty but either way she looked incredibly sexy.

"Dude, is she coming or what" said Scott from the doorway. "If not I'm going to eat her share."

"I sort of doubt it" said Josh.

He moved aside so Scott could see Natalie's sleeping form. Scott's eyes roved over her body, stopping once he got to her slightly parted legs.

"Makes me want to just crawl in there with her" said Scott, more to himself than Josh.

"I guess we can just save a plate for her and she can eat it when she wakes up" said Josh.

"Good idea, I'll tuck her in" volunteered Scott.

Josh moved aside warily. He walked to his duffle bag and slowly began shuffling thought it's contents. Scott paid him no mind, as he walked towards the bed. He untucked the blanket from under Natalie's body taking care not to jostle her. Next he gently lifted her legs onto the bed before smoothing down the hem of the skirt. His hands flitted over her bare legs, surprised at the softness of them. Scotty bit back a groan as he imagined the feeling of them wrapped around him. Finally with great self-control he pulled the blanket up to her armpits and tucked it in.

"Lets go dude" said Scotty as he stepped away from Natalie's bed.

"Roger" said Josh.


	50. Chapter 50

Sig paced the wheelhouse alternating between cursing in Norwegian and kicking the back of the chairs. Norman was sitting in one of those chairs and winced every time Sig's foot connected with his seat. The crew had finished their offload and reloaded the supplies hours ago and yet the Northwestern was still at the dock. Norman had tried to ask Sig why they were waiting but the question died on his lips when Sig met his attempted query with a stare that would curdle milk.

"Uh Sig, do you want us to cast the lines?" asked Jake Anderson over the hailer.

The question enraged Sig and he stomped over to the door and flung it open.

"I will damn well tell you when we are ready to leave" yelled Sig to the crew waiting on deck.

His ears pricked up while he stood outside, the sound of a truck rumbling on the planks of the dock caught his attention. The truck pulled to a stop in front of the Northwestern and a pair of high heeled boots dropped from the back door. When the figure came into view she was dressed in a fur lined jacket and a pair of tight fitting jeans. A scarf around her neck partially blocked her mouth and sunglasses effectively covered all other distinguishing features. Norman joined Sig outside, quietly sizing up the new arrival.

"Is this who we've been waiting for?" asked Norman.

"Yes, get her the hell on board and then throw the lines" said Sig before he turned to stomp back inside.

Norman took the stairs two at a time and was quickly on the deck next to Jake. They waited for the girl to come to the edge of the dock. Kale hopped down from the drivers side and hauled a suitcase from the bed of the truck. The rolling bag was set hesitantly on the dock. Kale gave her passenger a quick hug and then stepped back.

"How in the bloody hell do you expect me to get down there?" asked Nicole.

"Nicole?" asked Jake, his stomach dropping into his shoes.

"Oh, this is bad" said Norman.

The door to the wheelhouse slammed open again and Sig appeared, his face mottled with rage.

"What the hell is taking so long?" he bellowed.

His eyes scanned the dock and saw that Nicole was still standing on it. Then his eyes alighted on the suitcase sitting next to her feet.

"You can't bring that" he said pointing to her feet.

"I can't bring my boots?" asked Nicole in confusion.

"Not the boots, the suitcase" said Sig. "No coffins."

"It's a case not a coffin" said Nicole.

"It's not coming on" said Sig.

"Then I'm not either" said Nicole. "This case probably costs more than this bloody boat."

"I doubt that" said Sig. "I don't care if it's filled with gold bars, it's not coming on."

"This is ludicrous, why are you afraid of a bloody suitcase" groused Nicole.

"You want on the boat, then ditch the case" said Sig.

"I don't want on the boat, I want to see Natalie, deliver my message and then get back to somewhere slightly warmer" said Nicole hotly.

"She's not here, so if you want to see her you need to ditch the case and the attitude and get on the fucking boat" said Sig, seethingly.

"Where is Natalie?" asked Nicole. "Why isn't she with you?"

A small crowd of guys were starting to become very interested in the argument taking place on the dock. Sig could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He needed to get Nicole on the deck and out of Dutch. Taking a calming breath and saying a prayer he smiled.

"Bring the suitcase, get on the deck" said Sig in a deathly calm voice.

Nicole gazed at him warily then took a few steps to the edge of the dock pulling her suitcase along behind her. Jake jumped up to help her and deftly tossed the bag down to Matt.

"Ok, here's how you're going to do it" explained Jake. "Take a step on the railing and then jump down."

"I'm going to snap a heel in the very least but most likely my neck" said Nicole.

"You'll be fine" said Jake. "Norman will catch you. Right Norm?"

"Roger" said Norman.

Nicole looked uncertain.

"Come one Nicole, we've got to go" said Jake, glancing nervously towards the wheelhouse.

"There has to be another way" said Nicole. "I don't want to do this."

"For fuck's sake, use the fucking crane" yelled Sig's voice over the hailer.

Nick was on it in a heartbeat. He swung the machinery over to where Nicole was standing. Jake secured her foot in the sling and then stepped on behind her. He held her tightly until she was safely on the deck.

"Throw the lines" said Sig's disembodied voice.

"Take your suitcase inside" said Jake.

"Um, ok" said Nicole.

Taking a quick glance around the boat she realized there was only one door and headed towards it. She was starting to regret her trip up to Alaska. Her plan to see Natalie, tell her about the crazy girl's visit and then be home in time for her hair appointment seemed rather unrealistic at the moment.

The guys had finished pulling the lines and securing the deck for the long trip back to the fishing grounds. They were cold and ready to get into their racks and bank some sleep before the start of the next grind. Nick was the first one into the galley and was surprised to see Nicole standing in front of the table, her suitcase at her side seemingly waiting for something or someone.

"You ok?" asked Nick.  
"Fine" said Nicole. "I, um, just don't know where I should be going."

"I'm Eddie, you a friend of Sig's?" asked the Time Bandit crew member.

"Not particularly" said Nicole. "But I'm sure you gathered that from the little row we had earlier."

"Right, well nice to meet you" said Eddie before he turned towards his stateroom.

Nicole smiled politely as she was introduced to Neil Hillstrand and then reintroduced to all the other members of the Northwestern crew.

"I'll show you where you'll be sleeping" said Jake. "And give you a little tour of the boat."

"Thank you" said Nicole.

Jake led her through the cramped hallway towards the stateroom she would be sharing with Norman. He opened the door and heard Nicole gasp in horror.

"You ok?" asked Jake.

"I can't sleep in something like that" said Nicole.  
"They are more comfortable than they look" lied Jake.

"It's not about comfort, it's about claustrophobia" said Nicole, her voice shaking.

"All the bunks are like this" said Jake. "Except for Sig's."

"Do you think he'll let me sleep in his?" asked Nicole, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"We can ask" said Jake, a fake smile plastered to his face.

"Lets ask him now" said Nicole.

"Sure" said Jake, his stomach rolling.

Sig was sitting in his chair when Jake made a half hearted attempt to knock on his way up the stairs. He turned to watch the pair enter his domain. Sig was still angry about Nicole's little stunt on the dock and he was prepared to make her pay. He'd already heard an ear full over the radio about their argument. The mysterious girl yelling at Sig Hansen off the dock. No one knew her identity and he planned to keep it that way.

"What do you want?" snapped Sig.

"Nicole is claustrophobic" said Jake.

"Don't show her the engine room then" said Sig, turning back to the window.

"I can't sleep in the bunks" said Nicole. "I can't sleep with anything over my head."

"Then put her on the top" said Sig.

"The ceiling is too close" said Nicole. "I can't do it."

"Then sleep in the galley" said Sig.

"The what?" asked Nicole.

"The galley" said Sig. "The kitchen, the seats around the table."

Nicole's looked aghast at the suggestion.

"What did you expect?" snapped Sig. "This isn't the fucking Ritz."

"I don't even want to be on this bloody ship" said Nicole. "I just wanted to see my sister, give her some news and then leave."

"Well then you should have done that" said Sig. "And it's a boat not a ship."

"I can't because she's not here" said Nicole, ignoring Sig's correction. "You can't even tell me where she is or how long it will be before I can see her."

"She's on another boat" said Sig.

"Did you trade her?" said Nicole. "Like she's some football player?"

"Nice analogy, but not the case" said Sig.

"So what happened?" asked Nicole.

"Sit down" said Sig.

"You can't order me around" said Nicole.

"Just sit down, the waves are going to get bigger when we get out of the harbor and I'd hate for you to break your little ass your first hour out here" said Sig snidely.

"Fine" huffed Nicole. "Where is my sister?"

"She's on the Time Bandit" said Sig simply.

"What's that?" asked Nicole.

"Another boat" said Sig.

"Why, is she with them?" asked Nicole.

"Some guys got hurt and they needed her expertise" said Sig vaguely.

"Don't they have first aid kits?" muttered Nicole.

"Exactly, but all of sudden Natalie was the only person that could possibly save them" said Sig. "The coast guard made me send her."

"When will she be back?" asked Nicole.

"Hopefully we can meet her in St. Paul" said Sig.

"Where's that?" asked Nicole.

"It's a couple of days steam from here" said Sig.

"A couple of days?" said Nicole. "I'm being bloody shanghaied."

"You want to tell me what all this is about?" asked Sig.

"I think I should tell Natalie first" said Nicole, uncertainty staining her voice.

"Tell me" said Sig.

"If I tell you, will you turn around and let me go back home?" asked Natalie hopefully.

"Probably" said Sig.

The discussion was interrupted by the ring of the SAT phone. Sig picked it up.

"Northwestern" he said gruffly.

"Amazing manners, that one" muttered Nicole.

"Who?" asked Sig. "No, I don't know who that is or what they're trying to do."

The one sided conversation quickly lost Nicole's interest and she stared out the windows of the boat, watching civilization grow smaller and smaller. She was startled out of her revelry by Sig's shouting.

"NO! I'm not married, she doesn't have my dad's ring. It's always kept in my stateroom" said Sig angrily. "I don't care what proof she has it's all shit she's spewing."

Nicole wondered how many psychotic ex-girlfriends Sig had or if he was yelling about the same one that had prompted her trip.

"I don't know what to do, I'm out here on the Bearing Sea" said Sig. "I don't have time for this bullshit, I have crab to catch. Handle it the best you can and if she's so sure about what she's saying have her come up here."

The phone call came to an abrupt end and then Sig turned his attention back to Nicole.

"Does your little secret have anything to do with a girl named Lindsey?" asked Sig.

"Um, no" said Nicole. "It has to do with a girl named Bishop."

"Oh shit" said Sig and Jake simultaneously.


	51. Chapter 51

Natalie woke suddenly, the wisps of a dream were sitting just outside her conscious mind. Sitting up in the bunk she realized the boat felt different. It was quiet and seemed to be still. Smiling to herself she realized that they must have arrived in St. Paul harbor. She scrambled out of bed and headed towards the wheelhouse. The hallway was empty and as she peered into the rooms as she passed she saw that the crew was still in bed.

"Weird" she mumbled to herself.

Taking the stairs 2 at a time she rushed into the wheelhouse and was surprised to see Mike Fourtner sitting in the captain's chair. He seemed just as surprised to see her.

"Wow, hey" said Mike.

"Are we in St. Paul?" asked Natalie.

"Not exactly" said Mike.

Natalie looked past him, through the large windows. The sky was dark and the twinkle of lights in the distance told her they were close to land.

"Why are we stopped?" asked Natalie.

"The harbor is closed" said Mike.

"Why? Did something happen?" asked Natalie.

"It's choked with ice, no boats can get in or out" explained Mike.

"So we're here, but can't get in?" asked Natalie.

"Yep" said Mike.

"Well that's frustrating" said Natalie.

"Yep" said Mike.

"How long will we be stuck waiting out here?" asked Natalie.

"Until the ice flows back out" said Mike. "Probably a little longer, because other boats will get to offload before we do."

"Is the Northwestern in the harbor?" asked Natalie.

"I don't think so" said Mike. "I can call them on the radio and find out."

"No, that's ok" said Natalie. "It's not important."

"The harbor's been closed for a couple of days so they could have made it in" said Mike. "Maybe Jon knows."

"I suppose I can ask him when I see him" said Natalie.

"By the way, nice outfit" said Mike.

Natalie looked down and realized that she was still wearing the leopard print dress Scott had placed on her bed the night before.

"Thanks" said Natalie. "I'm sure it looks better with the proper accessories."

"Like what?" said Mike.

"Oh, I don't know" said Natalie. "A bra, underwear, some shag me shoes..."

"Well, that is the type of conversation I like to walk in on" said Jonathan from the doorway.

Natalie dropped her head to her chest and sighed.

"Hi, Jonathan" she mumbled.

"I may have some of those shoes you're talking about" said Jonathan with a wink.

"Um, no thanks" said Natalie. "I can barely walk around on this boat as it is."

"Hey Jon, is the Northwestern in the harbor?" asked Mike.

"Nope" said Jon. "Sig went to Dutch to unload."

"Why?" asked Mike.

"I guess because the harbor was closed" said Jon. "He was probably anxious to make his offload date."

Natalie just nodded, wondering when she would be able to see Sig and the rest of the Northwestern crew again.

"Well we have nothing but time, I can call him on the radio and you can talk to him if you want" said Jonathan.

"I don't want to bother him" said Natalie. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Fourtner, you are free to go" said Jonathan.

"Great, I'm going to make breakfast" said Mike.

"Take your time" said Jonathan. "We aren't going anywhere."

Natalie turned to follow Mike down the stairs but stopped when she heard Jonathan sigh heavily.

"Are you ok Jonathan?" asked Natalie.

"Yeah, just a crick in my neck from filling out the offload paperwork" said Jonathan.

"I can help with that" said Natalie.

She walked behind Jonathan and started to massage the knots from his neck.

"That feels great" said Jonathan.

"Good" said Natalie soothingly.

The night closed in quickly and the deck of the Time Bandit was illuminated by the harsh glare of sodium lights. Natalie sat bundled up on the sorting table staring at the distant lights of St. Paul island. The guys were playing cards in the galley but Natalie had put off their jovial attempts to get her to join them. Jonathan and Andy were discussing numbers in the wheelhouse and she could almost make out their shadows from where she was sitting.

"If you sit out there much longer your ass is going to freeze to that table" said Andy's voice over the hailer.

Natalie waved a hand in response and went back to watching the lights. Taking a deep breath she watched as her breath clouded in the cold night air.

"What's wrong?" asked Andy, this time from right next to her.

"Nothing" replied Natalie, her eyes fixed on the harbor lights.

"It's weird that it's so close and we can't get to it" said Andy.

"Yeah" said Natalie.

Andy slid onto the table next to her trying to fit his legs onto the table. He struggled for a moment before just letting them dangle awkwardly over the edge.

"That looks terribly uncomfortable" said Natalie.

"It is, but I don't want you to be out here by yourself" said Andy.

"I'll be perfectly safe" said Natalie. "Nothing is going to get me, it's flat calm out here and the nearest boat is like a thousand kilometers away."

"Um, I don't think it's quite that far" said Andy.

Natalie shot him a challenging look.

"But I could be wrong" said Andy, his palms up.

"I'm fine" said Natalie.

"You seem sad" said Andy. "We have a rule about sad girls on this boat."

"What's the rule?" asked Natalie warily.

"No sad girls allowed" said Andy.

"So, what do you just chuck them overboard if they are seized with a fit of melancholy?" asked Natalie.

"Uh, no" said Andy. "We cheer them up. Everyone leaves the Time Bandit with a smile on their face."

"Do you think the smile is just from the relief of getting off the boat?" asked Natalie, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Very funny" said Andy.

He reached awkwardly to grab her and Natalie slid just out of his reach. He regrouped and reached for her again. This time Natalie scooted off the sorting table, making a quick escape.

"If I wasn't injured I could catch you" said Andy.

"I sort of doubt it" said Natalie. "I'm a lot faster than I look."

"But I know this boat like the back of my hand" said Andy.

"I'm still faster than you" said Natalie.

"But I would find you" said Andy.

"Whatever you say" said Natalie dismissively.

"I propose a challenge" said Andy, his voice booming officially.

"What sort of challenge?" asked Natalie.

"A game of hide and seek" said Andy.

"Like the children's game?" said Natalie warily.

"Yes, I'll count to 100 while you hide and then I'll find you" said Andy.

"That sounds... kind of fun" said Natalie.

"Alright, I'm going to start counting" said Andy.

Natalie smiled and darted off towards the bow of the boat.

Three hours later and Andy was loosing all patience with Natalie. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since he'd covered his eyes on deck to start counting. He enlisted the rest of the crew after an hour of searching and yet no one had found her. He was starting to get worried she'd fallen overboard and they just hadn't noticed. The guys were calling in on the boat phones telling Jonathan where they'd checked.

"Where the fuck could she fucking be" groused Andy. "I helped fucking build this fucking boat and I can't find one fucking girl."

"Are you sure you checked everywhere we use to hide?" asked Jonathan.

"I've gone through every single nook and cranny on this boat" said Andy. "Why don't you get up and help."

"I'm coordinating the effort from up here" said Jonathan. "Why don't you check the staterooms again. Maybe she's moving around."

"Moving around?!" yelled Andy. "That's cheating."

He reached over Jonathan's head and grabbed the hailer.

"YOU CAN'T MOVE AROUND NATALIE! ONE HIDING SPOT!" he shouted.

Andy dropped the radio and stormed out of the room.

"I think by the time he finds you he's going to kill you" muttered Jonathan.

"I'm hoping he'll be too tired to do any real damage" said Natalie.

Jonathan looked down at his feet. Natalie was crouched up in a little ball, hiding below the radar display. She'd been there the whole time and Jonathan couldn't help but think she was going to need a massage when she finally got up.

"Aren't you getting tired?" asked Jonathan.

"No man, this is the most fun I've ever had on a boat" said Josh from behind him.

Jonathan spun the chair around in an attempt to block Josh's view of his little stowaway.

"No kidding" said Jonathan with an easy smile. "Where's Andy?"

"Flipping the mattresses off the beds in all the staterooms" said Josh.

"Where do you think she is?" asked Jon.

"I don't know, but wherever she might be I hope she's safe and warm" said Josh. "It started snowing again."

Jonathan looked out the window and saw the snow flurries swirling around on the deck. He realized that Fourtner and Scotty were both out combing the deck in search of Natalie.

"Josh, go tell them to come inside" said Jonathan. "I think this little game has gone on long enough."

"Roger" replied Josh.

Once he left the wheelhouse Natalie emerged from her hidey hole. She stretched and rolled her neck, wincing as her vertebrae cracked ominously.

"Find a place to be found" said Jonathan.

"Ok" said Natalie.

Andy slammed his head against the wall as he stood just inside the galley. He was going to have to admit defeat. Natalie had bested him at his own game on his own boat. The taste of failure was bitter in his mouth. With a sigh he trudged up the stairs to the wheelhouse. A flicker of movement caught his attention as he passed the captain's quarters. He took a step into Jonathan's stateroom and flicked on the light. His eyes widened as he saw Natalie's feet poking out from the end of the blanket.

"Well, well, well" said Andy. "Look who we have here."

He ripped the blanket off of Natalie's prone form and immediately climbed onto the bed, trapping her legs under him.

"What took you so long?" asked Natalie between giggles.

"You weren't here when I checked earlier" said Andy.

"I know, but I didn't think you'd ever find me in my other hiding spot and I was getting a stiff neck" said Natalie.

"Where were you?" asked Andy, his voice just a whisper.

"I'll never tell" said Natalie.

"I can torture it out of you" said Andy.

Natalie raised an eyebrow in response and Andy responded by pinning her arms above her head.

"Tell me" said Andy, his teeth clenched.

Natalie just shook her head.

Andy pressed both her wrists into one of his hands and let the other trail down Natalie's side.

"Then I suppose I'll just have to tickle it out of you" said Andy.

"I wouldn't recommend it" said Natalie.

"Why's that?" asked Andy, his hands skimming Natalie's ribs.

"Because I haven't gone to the toilet in almost four hours and I don't want to piss in Jonathan's bed" said Natalie.

"I won't mind" said Andy.

"I'm sure you won't but I'm sure he will and I'll tell him it's all your fault" said Natalie defiantly.

"Let me tell you, it won't be the first or last time someone pees in this bed" said Andy.

A look of disgust and horror crossed Natalie's face before she let out a piercing scream. Jonathan and Scott were in the room in less than a second, pulling Andy off of Natalie.

"What the fuck are you doing?" asked Scotty.

"Nothing" said Andy, rubbing his shoulder.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing" said Jonathan.

"I was going to tickle her into telling me where she was hiding" explained Andy. "Then she said she was going to pee in your bed. So I explained to her that many people have already done that before and she just started screaming."

Natalie had stripped off her sweatshirt and pants all the while mumbling about disgusting boys.

"No need to get all crazy" said Jonathan. "I replace the sheets after every incident."

"That is just foul" said Natalie.

She stalked out of the room in a flurry of mumbled cursing.


	52. Chapter 52

The Northwestern cut through the building seas with practiced ease. Sig's attempts to reach Edgar on the SAT phone were proving fruitless. He hung up angrily as the signal dropped for what seemed like the hundredth time. Nicole was sullenly sitting on the bench seat as the crew buzzed around discussing Bishop. Sig hadn't asked Nicole anything since she told him Bishop's name. Her hopes of getting off the Northwestern seemed to disappear with the last sign of land. The clammer going on around her was hurting her ears. Pulling her hat down she tried to block out the worst of it. Eventually the majority of the crew went to get some sleep, leaving Norman and Sig in the wheelhouse.

"So, why don't you tell me exactly what happened" said Sig.

"I was at Natty's house and the bell rang" began Nicole. "I went to answer it and some cheeky slag was standing there looking as if she owned the place. I asked her who she was and she gave me the name Bishop. When I didn't immediately respond to the name she told me I stabbed her. Which obviously I didn't, it was Natty of course. But I realized that she thought I was Natalie. I just kind of played along and when she didn't get the response she wanted she blurted out that she was pregnant. I said congratulations because that is the only acceptable response to a pregnancy. I don't know what she expected but when I tried to close the door to go on with my life she made some vague threat about you and then left in a bit of a snit."

"What's a slag?" asked Norman.

"A loose woman" said Nicole.

"What kind of threats?" asked Sig.

"She said she'd make you pay and that the baby had to be yours" she said pointing at Sig. "Or if it wasn't it could be Norman's or Edgar's. She was obviously getting quite a work out on this boat."

"Never mind that" said Sig, rubbing his hand over his face.

"But that's the crux of it isn't it" said Nicole. "She's shagged everything with a dick on this boat and now she's threatening extortion. She said she was carrying the heir to fishing royalty or something equally as ridiculous."

"You thought that warranted a trip up here?" asked Sig. "Why didn't you call Edgar?"

"I tried to call Antha, but Diana was in hospital" said Nicole. "I thought I would just come up here, tell Natalie and then leave. I didn't expect to be on some boat in the middle of the pacific ocean."

"We are in the Bearing Sea" corrected Sig.

"Whatever this fucking body of water is called is immaterial" shouted Nicole. "I just wanted to tell Natty that some psycho chick was pregnant with her boyfriend's baby and that she might want to duck out of the relationship before shit got too complicated."

Nicole's chest was heaving as she tried to get herself under control. Sig looked murderous and when he spoke it was barely a whisper and Nicole couldn't make out what he was saying. But she got the gist as Norman grabbed her arm and dragged her down the stairs to the galley.

A few hours later the table in the galley was filled with heaping platters of food. Nicole sat on the counter watching the guys devour their dinner. She sipped at a mug of tea while she slipped furtive glances out of the small galley window. The slight view of fresh air made it possible for her to keep her claustrophobia at bay.

"Nicole, do you want to eat something?" asked Jake.

"No thank you" said Nicole. "I don't usually eat."

"What do you mean you don't eat?" asked Neil Hillstrand.

"I just don't" said Nicole. "A cup of tea is really all I need."

"You don't eat at all?" repeated Neil.

"I have a bit of toast or an occasional salad, but in general no" said Nicole.

"Natalie eats" said Jake.

"Yes, well we may be twins but we aren't very much alike" said Nicole, her voice edged with frustration.

"No kidding" muttered Sig.

"What's that suppose to mean" snapped Nicole.

"I was just agreeing with you" said Sig. "You are Natalie are completely different from each other."

"I want specifics" said Nicole.

"You have different hair cuts" volunteered Jake, hoping the conversation wasn't going to dissolve into Sig throwing insults.

"Natalie doesn't have a fear of sleeping in a bunk" said Sig.

"Um, you wear high heels" said Jake, grasping at a positive comment.

Nicole looked down at her choice of footwear and shrugged.

"Natalie knows how to cook" said Sig.

"You're a singer" said Nick.

Jake gave Nick a grateful smile and took a breath.

"Natalie actually know how to be helpful" said Sig.

"You have bigger boobs" said Jake in rush.

Nicole's eyes widened as she realized that every man in the room was staring at her boobs.

"How do you know that?" teased Nicole. "You would have had to see both of our boobs to know that."

Jake slammed his head down on the table repeatedly hoping the brain injury would be enough to allow him not to answer.

"Yeah Junior, how do you know?" asked Sig.

"I don't" said Jake. "Not first hand or anything."

Nicole smiled benignly at the table of men and pulled off her sweater.

"Now you all have first hand experience" she said with a smile.

The guys hooted and hollered. Well, all except one, who was muttering about Natalie under his breath.

Sig picked up the radio and then set it back in its' cradle. He needed to call the Time Bandit and talk to Natalie. It was urgent that he speak to her about this whole Bishop debacle but he didn't want to do it over the radio for all and sundry to hear. The realization that Nicole had come up to Dutch to tell her sister to break up with him stung. He didn't know the spoiled princess very well but she obviously didn't think very highly of him at the moment and the feeling was definitely mutual. Norman had told him that Nicole had only had a cup of tea and then went to take a nap in his stateroom. That was hours ago and Sig found that every passing minute made him hate Nicole more and more. If it was Natalie on the boat, she would have done the laundry or made dinner or just kept him company.

"I brought you some coffee Captain" said Eddie.

"Thanks, Eddie" said Sig, gratefully accepting the steamy cup.

"You want me to take a watch?" offered Eddie.

"Sure" said Sig. "I'll grab a couple hour nap and then be back. Thanks man."

"No problem" said Eddie.

Sig walked into his stateroom and stripped off his jeans and shirt. Slipping a clean t-shirt and pajama pants on he climbed into his bed. The second his hand touched the blanket it moved. Reality crashed back onto him like a tidal wave. Looking down at the bed he saw Nicole, wearing what most people consider lingerie. He sighed, louder than necessary and started to back out of the bed.

"Don't be a wanker, just get in" said Nicole's muffled voice. "I promise to keep my hands to myself."

Sig smiled slightly and climbed in. The bed was warmer than Sig could ever remember it being.

"Did you put an electric blanket on or something?" he asked.

"No" said Nicole. "I'm just really hot."

"Funny" said Sig.

"Not a joke, I'm a really hot blooded person" said Nicole.

She rolled over so she was facing Sig and placed her hand on his arm. It seared into his skin and he jerked his arm back.

"Told you" said Nicole.

"Do you have a fever or something?" asked Sig.

"Nope, I was just born this way" said Nicole.

She rolled back over and buried her head under a pillow.

"What are you wearing?" asked Sig.

"A nightgown" said Nicole.

"That is not a nightgown" said Sig.

"I wear one to bed most every night" said Nicole.

"The question is do you wake up with it on" said Sig.

"Not usually" admitted Nicole. "But I am sure I will this time."

Sig sighed again and closed his eyes. He set his mental alarm clock for three hours and then promptly fell asleep. Nicole laid in the bed next to him, listening as his breath evened out. The steady rise and fall of his chest helped to finally lull her into sleep.

The storm had passed and the seas were calm outside the Northwestern. Inside the boat was a totally different story. Sig had found Nicole peeing with the door open earlier in the day and she didn't even bother giving him an excuse. Nicole's anxiety was getting the better of her and she'd taken to sitting silently in the wheelhouse staring blankly out the windows. Sig found this disturbing and had told her more than once to either talk or go somewhere else. Nicole would begin a half hearted conversation and then just stop talking.

"I swear to god, just finish a thought" said Sig.

"Can I go outside?" asked Nicole suddenly. "I might feel better if I go outside."

"Where did that come from?" asked Sig in confusion.

"I think I will definitely be better outside" said Nicole.

"Fine, take someone with you and stay away from the railing" said Sig.

"I don't want to take someone with me" said Nicole, her voice just this side of a whine.

"Then don't" snapped Sig. "Get washed overboard with no one out there to save you."

"Fine" mumbled Nicole as she walked down the stairs.

Matt Bradley was sitting at the galley table nursing a cup of coffee when Nicole appeared. He watched as she walked to the door, studied it for a minute and then walked back.

"Is there some secret to opening the door?" asked Nicole, her eyes darting nervously.

"Yes, you have to turn the wheel" said Matt.

"Can you do it for me?" asked Nicole. "I want to go outside."

"Did Sig say you can go outside?" asked Matt.

"My god, it's like he's the fucking Queen of England" said Nicole, throwing her hands in the air. "Yes, his majesty has allowed me to go outside."

"I wouldn't call Sig a queen of anything if you know what's good for you" said Matt with a chuckle.

"But he'd look so good in a tiara" said Nicole. "Now, will you open the door for me?"

"Sure" said Matt.

He opened the door and Nicole darted outside. Matt followed her out, making sure to close the door securely.  
"Whoa Nicole, where are you going?" asked Matt as he slid on the ice behind her.

"Fresh air" said Nicole as she stood in the middle of the deck.

"You ok?" asked Matt when he caught her.

"So much better now" said Nicole.

"You need a jacket on" said Matt.

"No, I'm fine" said Nicole.

Her face was turned up at the sun, a small smile gracing her pale face. Her pink lips parted slightly and she started to sing. Matt stood stalk still listening to the most beautiful song he could recall ever hearing. Nicole's voice rose and fell, lilting over the notes of her favorite aria. When she was finished she took a few deep cleansing breaths and then turned her attention to the blue ocean.

"It's rather beautiful out here" she said conversationally.

"What were you singing?" asked Matt.

"It's an aria from Rigoletto" said Nicole.

"Can you sing it again?" asked Matt.

"Sure, or something else if you prefer" said Nicole. "What's your favorite opera?"

"I can't say that I have one" said Matt.

"Well, do you prefer one in english?" asked Nicole.

"Nope" replied Matt.

"Ok, I'll sing another of my favorites" said Nicole.

After a few deep breaths she began singing an excerpt from Carmen. Matt slipped away from her and hit the button for the on deck hailer. Nicole's voice suddenly flooded the boat.

Sig's head snapped up and he quickly grabbed for the hailer to ask what the hell was going on but the dulcet tone of the voice stopped him. He listened until the song ended and then heard the sound of someone clapping.

"That was amazing" said Matt's voice.

"Thanks" said Nicole. "I feel so much better."

Sig set down the hailer. He suddenly realized what a shock this probably was for Nicole. She'd come to Alaska to deliver a message, not get on a crab boat. His musings were interrupted by Nicole knocking on the outside door of the wheelhouse. Sig leaned over and flipped the door open for her.

"Sorry, I forgot my coat" said Nicole.

"It's cold out there" said Sig.

"It feels wonderful" said Nicole. "So much fresh air. I just came in to get my coat and gloves."

"The song was beautiful" said Sig. "You have a real talent."

"Thank you" said Nicole. "How did you hear me?"

"The walls aren't as thick as you think" said Sig.

"That is a terribly disturbing thought" said Nicole.

She retrieved her gloves and coat and then slipped back outside. Sig watched her retreating form on the camera.

"I'm losing my mind" said Sig. "One song and I'm willing to let her do whatever she wants."

Outside Nicole stood looking out over the back of the stern. She watched the engine churn the water leaving a trail of white froth behind. Matt stood slightly behind her, making sure she was within grabbing distance. He felt a slight sense of deja vu. Nicole turned slowly and took a few steps towards Matt. The boat pitched slightly and Matt instinctively put out a hand to steady her.

"Thanks" she said with a smile.

"Anytime" said Matt with a wink. "Are you getting cold yet?"

"Not really" admitted Nicole. "Are you?"

"Nope, this is nothing compared to the conditions we normally work in" said Matt.

"It must be miserable" said Nicole. "Why do you do it?"

"The money" said Matt simply.

"I don't think there is enough money in the world for me to work for Sig" said Nicole.

"He grows on you" said Matt.

"Yeah, like a fungus" said Nicole.

Matt laughed while they walked back towards the small shelter where the guys waited in between strings. There were a few chairs, a pack of cigarettes and some bottled water. Matt handed Nicole a bottle of water and then pulled a cigarette out of the pack. He was about to light it when he stopped.

"Do you care if I smoke?" asked Matt.

"No" said Nicole.

"Would you like one?" asked Matt.

"No thanks, they aren't good for my voice" said Nicole. "But I don't mind if you have one. Jamie is always smoking in front of me."

"Is Jamie your boyfriend?" asked Matt.

"Eww, no! He's my brother" said Nicole. "Didn't Natalie tell you anything about us?"

"No" said Matt.

"Figures" said Nicole.

"Sorry, it probably never came up" said Matt. "All we usually do on this boat is work, eat and sleep."

"That's not true" said Nicole. "Or there wouldn't be a little Northwesterner on the way."

Matt looked slightly chagrined and nodded sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I don't care" said Nicole. "I mean sex is natural and wonderful and people should have as much of it as they can before they get old and can't do it anymore. At least that's my philosophy on the subject."

"That's quite a view" said Matt.

"Oh, I could give you a better one" said Nicole, her voice suddenly husky.

Matt's eyes widened as she took a step closer to him.

Nicole straddled Matt's legs as he sat on one of the folding chairs. For a brief moment Matt worried that the chair wouldn't support both their weights. But Nicole's lips touched his and any concern he had about anything flew out the window. Her lips were warm and soft and she tasted like tea with honey. Her tongue slipped along the seam of his mouth demanding entrance. Matt opened his mouth, his tongue slipping across hers. Nicole traced her hands over Matt's face and then realized she was still wearing her gloves. Matt caught one by the finger and tugged her hand free. Nicole gave him the other and he repeated the process. Once her hands were free she flitted them over his stubble roughened face. Her fingers pulled through his hair, tugging it hard enough to break the kiss. Her lips trailed down his neck and then up behind his ear. She took the lobe between her teeth and bit it sharply. Matt moaned in response, his hands tightening on her waist. She moved away and Matt grabbed her butt in an attempt to keep her in place.

"Let me move, I'll make it worth your while" said Nicole.

Matt reluctantly let go of her and she slipped down to kneel in front of him. Matt's eyes went wide and he tried to pull her back up. She slapped his hands away and then moved hers to the waistband of his sweats. With practiced ease she pulled his already hard cock out of his pants. Before the cold air could hit it she engulfed it in her hot mouth. Matt moaned loudly, his head dropping back. Nicole swirled her tongue around the head before allowing the shaft to slip down her throat. Matt was fairly sure he'd just died and gone to heaven. Nicole's hand slipped down to caress his balls. Tugging the skin gently until they drew up, signaling his impending release.

"I'm going to cum" groaned Matt.

Nicole didn't pause in her ministrations and a moment later Matt was spilling down her throat. She swallowed and then leaned back, but not before depositing a soft kiss on his softening dick.

"Wow, that was..."mumbled Matt.

"Thank you, I feel much better" said Nicole.

She stood abruptly, gave Matt a peck on the cheek and then walked back inside with a smug smile on her face.


	53. Chapter 53

a/n: Sorry for the long time between chapters, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue writing on this site or really at all. But I am determined to not leave this unfinished.

After two days the Time Bandit finally made it into St. Paul harbor to offload. Natalie had spent the time playing cards and checking on the crew members. She'd adjusted some backs, cleaned some wounds and massaged everyone on the boat. While she didn't mind, she missed the Northwestern. Now she sat in the captain's chair watching the dock workers scrambling to offload the crab in sub-zero temperatures. Andy was sitting in the port side chair nodding in and out of sleep. She'd insisted both he and Mike Fourtner go to the clinic on the island for a check up. They received an all clear, and by the way Andy and Mike were acting she suspected they may have gotten a shot of something for their pain. The offload would take at least another twelve hours. She wondered if the Northwestern would be able to meet up with the Time Bandit before everyone headed back out to sea. Larry from the Sea Star had managed to drop off her bag the day before the harbor opened. Natalie had spent a good hour in the bathroom using all her shampoo and soaps. She felt more human with her own clothes and a fresh pairs of underwear. The men of the Time Bandit were more than a little disappointed by her new wardrobe.

The radio crackled to life above Natalie's head.

"Time Bandit, this is the Northwestern, you there Andy?" asked the voice.

Natalie struggled to untangle the radio from the wall and then pulled it to her mouth.

"This is Natalie on the Time Bandit, go ahead Northwestern."

"Natalie" said Sig, with a sigh.

"Hi Sig" replied Natalie breathlessly.

"Where are you guys?" asked Sig, regaining his composure.

"Offloading in St. Paul" said Natalie.

"Is the offload almost done?" asked Sig.

"Not really, they're just finishing the first tank" said Natalie.

"We are almost there" said Sig. "I can pick you up before you leave the harbor."

"That sounds fine" said Natalie. "But I'll double check with Jon or Andy when I see them."

"Roger" said Sig.

Natalie set the radio back into the cradle with a wide smile across her face. As she turned to get up she saw Andy staring at her.

"I guess I didn't really have a chance then" he said quietly.

"You are a great guy" said Natalie. "But I met Sig first."

"Well if you ever want to be with someone better, I'm here" said Andy with a smirk.

"I'll remember that" said Natalie.

The Northwestern steamed hard towards St. Paul. Sig had the throttle completely open, burning fuel at a ridiculous rate. He needed to get to Natalie and get Nicole off his boat as soon as possible. Nicole's non existent appetite for food was replaced by her unending appetite for sex. She wore Matt out in less than twelve hours. The last time Sig saw him he was holding a bag of pees over his crotch in the galley. Sig had made a mental note to avoid eating anything with peas for the rest of the trip. Nicole had moved onto Jake who tried and failed to keep their little trysts a secret. They'd been caught on the galley table, in the tiny shower and worst yet in Sig's bunk. Jake hadn't been able to look Sig in the eye since. Sig groused that he could send Nicole back on the first boat heading to Dutch, whatever kind it happened to be. He secretly hoped it was a processing ship, the smellier the better. The dulcet tones of an aria were making their way into Sig's wheelhouse making his frown deepen. If Nicole wasn't having sex with one of his crew members she was singing in some foreign language. He could hear her mounting the stairs and the thought of having to speak to her set his teeth on edge.

"Sig" she called. "Are we almost there?"

Sig closed his eyes, offering up a silent prayer her could keep his temper in check enough to answer her.

"Yes, we should be there in six hours or so" he answered through gritted teeth.

"Oh, that long" pouted Nicole.

She sat lightly in the port side chair and looked out of the window her face full of disdain.

"This is taking forever" she complained.

"Yes, well it's a boat not a plane" said Sig.

"I'm so bored" said Nicole.

Sig gave her the side eye, wondering if Jake had some sort of aneurysm from too much sex.

"Can I talk to someone on the radio or something?" asked Nicole.

"What?! God No" replied Sig, his voice split between horror and annoyance.

"Why not?" said Nicole. "I know you just push the button."

"It's not a question of knowing how to use it, I mean a 2 year old can use it, so you could probably manage it with a little help" quipped Sig. "But the guys on the other end are working. You know at their job. They don't have time to shoot the shit with some oversexed pop star."

"I'm not a pop star, I'm an opera singer" said Nicole.

"Same difference, they don't have time to talk to you" said Sig.

"I bet I could get them to make time for me" said Nicole, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips.

Sig turned his head away in disgust. His thoughts went once again to how two identical twin sisters could be so completely different.

"Whatever, you can't use the radio" said Sig.

"What about the phone?" asked Nicole. "I could call home or something."

"It's for emergency use only" said Sig.

"It is emergent" said Nicole.

Sig looked her up and down and then frowned.

"You aren't bleeding" he stated.

"I'm dying of boredom" said Nicole in her most dramatic voice.

"Look, we will be in St. Paul in less than six hours" said Sig. "Find something to do, someone to fuck, go for a fucking swim for all I care. Just get the FUCK OUT OF MY WHEELHOUSE!"

"Asshole" muttered Nicole as she got up. "I don't know what the hell Natty sees in you."

Sig scowled at her retreating back before turning his attention back to the slate gray sea.

Natalie waved the small light back and forth in front of Scotty's pupils making them dilate. Jon stood over her right shoulder starring at his son. Scotty blinked furiously as Natalie shone the light into his eyes again.

"Stop looking down my shirt" said Natalie.

"I can't see shit, just little dancing lights" said Scott.

"Too bad, her tits are amazing in this shirt" said Jon.

Natalie elbowed him in the ribs with surprising force.

"Oh fuck, that hurt" said Jon.

"You deserve it you pervert" said Natalie. "By the way his eyes are fine, normal and reactive."

"Good to know" said Jon. "Glad there is no lasting brain damage."

"You can put the ice pack back on your head" said Natalie.  
"Ok" said Scott, placing the frozen corn back on the crown of his head.

"And I guess, watch out for falling ice" said Natalie, with a smile.

"Yeah, ok" said Scott, with a roll of his eyes. "I'll make sure to do that."

"I can't believe the heater for the crab was enough to loosen that piece of ice" said Jon.

"Believe it" said Scott. "I've got the goose egg to prove it."

"Just take it easy, take some pain meds and get some rest" said Natalie.

"He probably has a concussion, he shouldn't sleep" said Jon.

"His pupils are fine, he didn't loose consciousness or vomit" explained Natalie. "I assure you he's fine."

"He's my son" said Jon, suddenly serious. "My only son."

"How about I sit with him for bit" said Natalie. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Thanks" said Jon, his expression full of relief.

"Lets go cowboy" said Natalie teased. "If you're good I'll help you into your jammies."

"Oh, I sleep naked" said Scott with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Not today" said Natalie sternly.

Jonathan watched the pair walk towards the staterooms. He was going to miss having Natalie on the boat. She gave the guys a sense of stability. Even if fishing was shit they knew she'd be there to take care of them. He glanced at his watch and realized that Sig and the Northwestern would probably be pulling into St. Paul in a couple of hours, maybe less. With a sigh he headed back out to the deck to watch the end of the offload.

Sig had never been happier to see St. Paul island in his life. The weather was coming up and he was lucky to get in before the harbor closed. He could see the Time Bandit tied up at the processor. He smiled when he saw a brailer being lifted up from the deck.

"They aren't done yet" he mumbled.

"It usually takes a while" said Neil Hillstrand.

"You happy to get back to your boat?" asked Sig.

"Well, this one seems to have a lot more action" said Neil with a smirk.

"God, I can't wait to get her off this boat" muttered Sig. "Now, don't go running your mouth to your brothers about all the shit that went down. I don't want to hear about it for the next 40 years."

"Oh sure" said Neil. "Scouts honor."

Sig didn't have to look at him to know he was lying. This was going to be the talk of the fleet for years. He'd already been the topic of conversation for having Natalie on the boat, now this. Sig pulled a cigarette out of the pack sitting next to him and before he could reach for his lighter, Neil lit it for him.

"Don't worry boss, I'm sure if the fishing doesn't work out you can make this into a floating brothel." said Neil with a chuckle. "I had no idea there were so many places on a boat to have sex."

"Well you obviously aren't very creative" said Sig.

Neil's eyebrows rose to his hairline and he regarded the captain thoughtfully before heading outside to help tie off the boat.

The ropes were thrown and the Northwestern was secured alongside the Time Bandit. The guys were already clamoring over the wave wall onto the Time Bandit's slick deck. Sig stood on his own deck, waiting for Natalie to appear. Nicole was securely locked in his stateroom and he could hear her muted yelling from the deck. He hoped Natalie would get there before Nicole broke the door down. He didn't care if she destroyed the whole room, he just didn't want her to be seen by any of the other boats. The rumors would be one thing, but the last thing he needed was visual proof of her existence. He just wanted to get Natalie on the boat and Nicole out the door.

"Hey Sig" said Natalie, her voice full of smiles.

"Natalie" said Sig.

With that one word his voice seemed to convey everything he'd felt in her absence, the longing, sadness and annoyance.

"I need help with the cases" said Natalie.

Jake hopped back onto the Northwestern and motioned for her to throw the first bag.

"Be careful with this one, it's the medical kit" said Natalie.

"I will" said Jake.

Natalie tossed the bag gently and Jake carefully placed it on the deck. The next bag was tossed haphazardly. The bag had barely left her hands before she was climbing onto the Northwestern. She walked nimbly along the side of the boat until she could reach the ladder that would take her to the deck. The moment her feet touched the deck Sig swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. It took Natalie a moment to catch her breath, but once she did she deepened the kiss, her mouth opening and tongue darting out to meet Sig's. There were whistles from the deck of the Time Bandit but Sig and Natalie paid them no mind. When they finally broke apart they were both breathless.

"I missed you" said Natalie.

"I missed you too" replied Sig.

The touching moment was destroyed by the sound of a tremendous crash coming from the wheelhouse.

"What the hell was that?" said Natalie.

"Your sister" said Sig menacingly.

"My what?!" exclaimed Natalie.


	54. Chapter 54

A/N: Long Chapter.

Nicole burst out of the wheelhouse door with amazing speed. The door slammed against the side of the boat cracking the window. She was so mad she was seeing red. Slipping down the stairs she landed hard on the deck. The injury just fueled her anger. Sig's face had drained of all color as she began shrieking. There were no recognizable words just gibberish being spewed louder and louder. Natalie disentangled herself from Sig's embrace and began walking towards her sister with a look of shock on her face. Nicole pushed past Natalie, her heels slipping on the slick deck boards as she made a beeline for Sig. Unconsciously Sig stepped back until he hit the side of the boat. With nowhere else to go he stopped and waited to accept his fate. Nicole was practically foaming at the mouth when she got to Sig. She raised her hand to smack him when she was unceremoniously tackled from behind.

"Don't you dare hit him" said Natalie.

The two girls rolled around on the deck while the hoots and hollers from the Time Bandit grew. Sig glanced up and noticed that they were drawing quite an audience. Natalie eventually got the upper hand and pinned Nicole beneath her body.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing on this boat?" asked Natalie in between pants.

"Ask the wanker over there" spat Nicole. "All I wanted to do was deliver a bloody message."

"What?" asked Natalie. "What kind of message?"

"A message, that some freaky psycho came to your door threatening you and saying she was pregnant with the wanker's child and that she was going to blackmail him or you or something. It's all jumbled in my head right now because I'm laying on something wet" said Nicole, the rage leaking out of her body.

She struggled to get up but once she realized that Natalie was still pinning her forcefully she gave up.

"When did you get so strong" Nicole remarked conversationally.

"Since I started working on a crab boat" replied Natalie.

"Can we get up?" asked Nicole. "I'm really wet."

Natalie was snapped back to herself and stood up, pulling Nicole with her. Nicole turned to say something to Sig but Natalie grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk" she said, all but dragging Nicole towards the house.

Once the girls were inside Sig turned to glare at the guys on the deck of the Time Bandit. There were probably close to twenty men staring down at him. His own crew quickly jumped back onto the deck. Andy and Jonathan Hillstrand followed.

"Don't the rest of you have things to do?" said Sig in his best captain voice.

"When's the next fight scheduled?" asked one of the men.

"Get out of here" replied Sig.

He turned to Jake and Matt before pointing to the bags on the deck. The guys jumped to retrieve them and then dutifully followed Sig and the rest of the guys inside.

Natalie and Nicole were both standing in the galley, the kettle on the stove was steaming and two cups were sitting on the counter. Jake couldn't suppress his snort at the scene. Without loosing a beat, Nicole poured the hot water over the tea bags and both girls picked up their cups in unison. They dipped the tea bags the exact same number of times and then discarded them in the sink.

"They're twins" blurted out Andy.

"Holy shit Sig, as if one hot girl isn't enough to have on your boat you get two. Not just two but identical twins" said Jonathan, clapping Sig on the back.

"Shut up" said Sig.

Natalie and Nicole continued their muted conversation. Occasionally a word would travel to the guys but most of the time they just heard mumbles. Sig grimaced every time Nicole pointed in his direction. The boat was small and there seemed no way for the girls to be speaking so quietly, but they were.

"Gentlemen, I think this might take a while" announced Sig. "Let's head to town for a drink."

"We're done" said Natalie. "And I for one would love a drink."

"Me too" said Nicole.

"You aren't going anywhere" began Sig.

"Listen you stupid twat, I did nothing to you. I wanted to give Natty some information and you felt the need to put me on this bloody boat and sail me out to the middle of nowhere. Now I'm going to get a bloody drink and if you don't like it then piss off" shouted Nicole.

"Right" said Natalie as she linked her arms with Nicole. "On our way."

The girls walked through the door back out onto the deck.

"My God Sig, what the hell have you gotten us into?" asked Andy.

"You should run while you still can" said Sig. "I guarantee this is going to be a disaster."

The girls were standing on the deck looking up at the wave wall. Natalie was gesturing to Nicole, obviously giving her directions on how to climb across to the Time Bandit. Nicole was shaking her head.

"Get the crane" said Sig to Norman.

Sig approached the pair, like he was entering a pit full of venomous snakes.

"We're going to use the crane" said Sig.

"I don't need a bloody crane" muttered Nicole.

"No one is going to be able to carry you up to the other side" said Sig.

Nicole spun around to give Sig a two fingered salute.

"Hey, we can get her up" offered Andy.

"Yeah, I'll push you pull" said Jonathan.

Andy climbed to the top railing of the Northwestern and then dropped his hand towards Nicole. Jonathan, scooped her up and placed her on his shoulder. Andy snagged her hand and pulled her to his side. He then carefully stepped across to his boat. Natalie followed her sister onto the Time Bandit, without help. Mike Fortner was on deck, holding a clipboard tallying the boxes of bait being loaded into the freezer.

"Mikey, we're going to town for a quick beer" announced Andy. "Finish up quick and come over."

"Roger" said Mike.

"Shouldn't he tell them where we're going?" commented Nicole.

"Chances are there's only one place here" said Natalie.

"Well, I can only expect it will be top notch" said Nicole with a roll of her eyes.

Norman appeared at Natalie's side.

"Hi Norman" said Natalie softly.

"Hey, are you ok?" asked Norman casually.

"I'm as fine as one can be" said Natalie. "If that person has just got off a boat where she patched up a bullet wound and a dislocated shoulder only to be met by her sister on another..."

Natalie's voice faded and she realized how ridiculous her explanation was becoming.

"God, I could use a drink" she said with a sigh.

"First rounds on Sig" said Norman.

"No way, I'll get the first round of drinks for our naughty nurse and her sexy sister" said Andy with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Nicole heard his quip and turned around to size him up. Her eyes raked over his body as she took the measure of him.

"I don't think we've properly met" said Nicole, holding out her hand. "I'm Nicole."

"Andy, nice to meet you" said the Time Bandit captain with a sly leer.

Nicole lowered her eyes demurely and let Andy kiss her hand. Natalie rolled her eyes and quickly clamored over the side of the Time Bandit onto the dock. Picking up her pace she started to walk towards the closest light source.

"Hey Bug" said Nick, jogging to catch up with her.

Natalie slowed slightly but didn't stop.

"Natalie" insisted Nick. "You're going the wrong way."

"Fuck" said Natalie, stopping and sitting down on the dock.

Nick sat down next to her and handed her a lit cigarette.

"Croatian panacea" he said with a smile.

Natalie took the proffered cigarette and took a drag. She watched as the guys fawned all over Nicole as they helped her off the Time Bandit and onto the deck.

"You look good" said Nick conversationally. "Good to see the Bandit boys didn't work you too hard."

"Thanks, and I worked plenty hard" said Natalie, her eyes never leaving Nicole.

"Sig, will be happy to see her go" said Nick.

"I can't imagine why, she's always been such a grand helper" said Natalie, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"She's about as useful as a drum set with no sticks, you can bang it a couple of times but that's about it" said Nick, with a small smile.

"Don't say mean things about my sister" said Natalie. "Even if they are mostly true."

"She had sex with Jake in Sig's bunk" said Nick.

"You're kidding me" said Natalie. "And she's lived to tell the tale? Sig must be getting soft."

"I think he likes you so much that he's willing to not kill your sister" said Nick. "Jake on the other hand, probably won't be as lucky."

"Hey!" yelled Sig as he approached. "I'm only paying for one round and then we're getting out of here."

Natalie and Nick stood up and dusted off their backsides before slowly following Sig towards the only bar in St. Paul.

Sig slowed his pace until Natalie and Nick caught up. The trio walked together for a moment before Nick hurried ahead, leaving Sig and Natalie alone. Sig pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Natalie who politely declined. He stopped briefly to light it. It was a test to see if Natalie would stop and wait for him. She did and Sig internally let out a sigh of relief.

"So, how was the Time Bandit?" asked Sig.

Natalie, stopped and abruptly turned towards Sig. Her eyes turned to slits, he could barely see the whites. Her mouth was turned down sharply and without saying a word the subject of the Time Bandit was dropped. They walked a while in silence when Natalie suddenly asked a question.

"Why did you decide to bring her?"

"I didn't bring her" replied Sig.

"So, she stowed away on the boat?" asked Natalie incredulously. "She won't even stay in a cruise cabin that doesn't have at least 2 bathrooms and a glass wall of windows."

"Yeah, that's because she's claustrophobic" said Sig.

"You don't say" said Natalie. "So she hid on the boat and made you take her out here."

"Not exactly" said Sig. "It just sort of happened."

"Were you missing me and thought you'd get the identical next best thing?" spat Natalie.

"No, God No! said Sig. "She's nothing like you. And I only want you."

"So why did you bring her?" asked Natalie, this time she stopped.

"I didn't mean to, she was yelling and making this huge scene" explained Sig. "I just put her on the boat to shut her up, then she demanded to talk to you. So I brought her up here. And now I'm going to send her back."

"How are you going to send her back? She's not a fucking parcel" snapped Natalie.

"She can go back on another boat" said Sig.

"By herself? With a crew of strangers?" questioned Natalie.

Suddenly Sig's simple disposal of the Nicole problem was seeming less simple.

"Let's get a drink and we can talk about it later" suggested Sig.

"There is no later" said Natalie. "You said one drink and then we're off. Unless you get her sorted she's going to be off with us."

Sig suddenly wished he had something hard to bang his head against.

By the time Sig and Natalie arrived at the bar, the first round of shots had been bought and paid for. Andy was holding two out to the stragglers as they approached the table. Natalie accepted the shot glass and tossed the drink back without even asking what it was. Sig did the same and then slid into the seat next to his brother Norman. Natalie's eyes scanned the table and found Nicole snuggled up between Jonathan and Jake. She was talking animatedly about something or other keeping the guys attention glued on her. Natalie rolled her eyes when she realized that Nicole had taken off her heavy coat and was sporting a ridiculously low cut sweater. Jonathan was practically drooling and Jake was torn between enjoying the show and convincing Nicole to put her jacket back on. Matt tugged her sleeve and she allowed herself to be pulled into the booth next to him.

"Hey gorgeous" he said with a smile.

"Hi Matt" said Natalie. "How's the hand?"

As she asked the question she examined his knuckles and fingers. There were new scratches and one knuckle in particular looked like the joint was swollen.

"You need to ice this" said Natalie as she released his hand.

"It's ok" said Matt.

"It will be better if you follow my orders" said Natalie.

"You can order me around any time" said Matt. "Look I'll start right now."

With that pronouncement he wrapped his hand around his glass. Natalie smiled and then stood up.

"Next rounds on Sig" she announced. "What do you want?"

"Hey" said Sig.

Natalie sauntered to the bar and gave the bartender the order. While she waited she studied the well worn bar top.

"You can carve your name in there" said a voice from behind her. "If you can find room."

"Oh, hey Mike" said Natalie, giving Fourtner and hug. "Want anything? Sig's buying."

"Well in that case" chimed Josh Harris. "I'll have whatever is most expensive."

"Done" said Natalie with a smile.

"You ok?" asked Josh.

"I'll be fine" replied Natalie. "Especially after a few more of these."

Hours later finds the group in the same booth, bottles and glasses littering the table. Nicole is treating the assembled to a rendition of her favorite torch songs. She's taken off the sweater and sings to them wearing only a camisole and her jeans. Her heeled boots lay abandoned under the table. She is standing on the vinyl bench belting out a song like she's performing in Albert Hall. Natalie grimaces as her sister reaches a particularly high note. Taking that as her cue to leave she stumbles out of her seat and towards the door. Once outside the blast of freezing air takes her breath away. Pulling her beanie out of her coat pocket she pulls it down over her ears and begins walking back towards the Northwestern. Walking down the dock she sees another figure approaching her in the dimness. Natalie puts her head down and does her best to keep walking in a straight line. The figure stops just in front of her causing her to raise her head.

"Hey, is the Northwestern in the bar?" mumbled a voice.

"Yeah" replied Natalie as she kept walking.

The stranger mumbled a thanks and kept walking. Natalie continued her walk towards the moored boats. As she approached the Time Bandit she saw Scotty and Neil walking down the dock towards her. Suddenly they were yelling but the wind and snow flurries made it impossible for her to hear them. In her alcohol dulled state she wasn't about to run towards them. Their voices carried on the wind and snippets of words found her.

"...run...watch...knife..."

The sequence of words meant nothing to Natalie until she felt someone push her from behind. She hit the ground hard, the snow doing nothing to break her fall. She heard the sound of tearing cloth.

"If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny at all" said Natalie as she used her momentum to flip over.

She was startled to see it wasn't anyone from the Northwestern or Time Bandit. Without warning a gleam of silver caught her eye and she watched in horror as a knife was brutally buried in her shoulder. Her sense of self preservation took over and she began to struggle. The attackers hand slipped off the knife handle and instead of trying to retrieve the knife they simple cocked their fist back and punched. Natalie was able to move her head in time and the fist met the frozen dock. The shock of pain to the attacker was enough to allow Natalie enough leverage to dislodge them. In a fit of hysterical strength she pulled herself up off the dock and started to run towards the boats. Scotty and Neil met her, they half pulled half carried her towards the Time Bandit.

"Got to get you inside" said Scott.

Natalie's head bobbled back and forth as Neil lowered her into Scott's arms. Neil jumped down to the deck and hurried to open the door. All three stumbled into the ready room.

"Lock it" said Scott. "Lock everything, and call Jon and Andy."

"Take her to the galley" said Neil.

"Roger" said Scott.

He readjusted Natalie in his arms and started carrying her down the narrow hallway, trying hard to keep her from hitting the walls. The slam against the water tight door made Scotty stop.

"You don't think it could be Jon and Andy already, do you?" he asked Natalie.

He looked down at her as her eyes rolled one way then another. She was in shock.

"Come on Natalie, stay with me" said Scotty. "Focus on the sound of my voice."

Whoever was at the door was going to have to wait.

Scotty laid Natalie down on the galley table and called for Neil. He appeared with a stack of towels and the first aid kit. The two Hillstrands worked together to get her head elevated and staunch the bleeding in her shoulder. The pounding on the door increased and Neil went to open it.

The crash of the door opening was enough to cause Scotty to start. The distinct sounds of a struggle shortly after made him wary.

"Sorry to do this to you beautiful, but we gotta go" said Scott as he lifted Natalie off the table. "Your psycho friend isn't going to leave us alone until you're dead."

Natalie, tried to focus on Scotty's face but her vision around the edges was fuzzy and black spots seemed to be floating in and out. When he picked her up she did her best not to scream. Scott seemed to understand that he was hurting her, but it had to be done. He moved her towards the engine room door and swung it open. The ladder stairs were the only way down and in Natalie's current state there was no way she could manage them on her own. Scott laid her down, then opened the door. He stepped in first and then tried to pull her into his arms.

"RUN SCOTT" yelled Neil from the ready room.

He was out of time. Giving Natalie a kiss on the cheek he pulled her flush with his chest and jumped. The heavy door slammed above them as they crashed into the floor below. Scott had broken most of Natalie's fall.

"Oh shit" said Scott as he tried to sit up. His wrist was throbbing.

"Ok, Natalie, we've got to hide" said Scott.

Natalie bobbed her head, in some semblance of a nod. Scott dragged Natalie to the far end of the engine room. Someone was struggling to open the door they'd just fallen through. When they were tucked away in the corner Scott tried to assess the situation. He was in the engine room with Natalie who had a knife stuck in her shoulder hiding from a deranged psycho who'd just overpowered his uncle Neil. The situation seemed daunting.

"Ok Natalie, I'm going to pull the knife out" began Scott.

"Don't" said Natalie, her voice weak.

"What? Why?" asked Scott.

"Artery, bleed out" said Natalie. "Leave it."

The door slammed open and then abruptly shut again. Scott knew that they were sitting ducks. He pushed Natalie more into the corner and covered her with a blanket.

"I'm going to see what's going on" said Scott.

Natalie weakly reached for his sleeve. Her blood soaked fingers too slick to hold on to it.

"No" she said, her voice thready.

"I have to keep you safe" said Scott. "It's safer if I'm closer to the stairs."

"Please" began Natalie, her fingers closing on air because he was already gone.

The scene above the engine room was no less chaotic than the one going on below. Jonathan, Andy, Fourtner, Josh Harris and the whole Northwestern crew had raced from the bar back to the Time Bandit. Neil's message had been short but clear, Natalie was hurt and the bastard was trying to get into the boat to finish her off. Jonathan and Andy reached the deck first, jumping down and heading towards the door. It was ajar. When they walked inside they saw Neil slumped next to the dryer, his head bloodied. Andy bent down to help him up.

"Scott has her" said Neil.

"Scott did this to her?" asked Sig.

"No, he's hiding with her" said Neil.

"Did you call the Coast Guard?" asked Jon.

"Didn't get a chance, attacker still in the boat" said Neil.

The three captains exchanged worried glances. There were only so many places to hide on a boat. Any idiot would be able to find Natalie given enough time.

"Take Neil to the Northwestern" said Sig to Nick.

Nick took Neil by the arm and led him out onto the deck.

"We need to call the coasties first" said Jon.

"I'll take Josh and Fourtner with me" said Andy.

"I wish we hadn't left Eddie with Nicole" said Jon.

"Leave her, we need to find Natalie" said Sig impatiently.

Jonathan led the way through the galley. The blood soaked table brought everybody up short.

"We need to find her now" said Fourtner. "She's already lost a lot of blood."

"Maybe it's not all hers" suggested Jake.

"We can hope" said Fourtner solemnly.

"Ok, new plan, we need to find Natalie now" said Andy. "Lets search the boat."

"Fourtner and Josh, go check the engine room" said Jon. "Northwestern, half of you check the aft spaces and the freezers and the other half check the staterooms. Sig, Andy and I will be in the wheelhouse calling the Coasties."

The group broke up, each making their way to their assigned area in hopes of finding Natalie.

Down in the engine room Natalie shivered violently startling herself awake. She slowly pulled the rough blanket off of her head and stared into the bleak darkness. She tried to focus on listening but her ears felt plugged. She tried to lift her arm to unplug her ear but the searing pain in her shoulder almost made her lose consciousness. Pulling off the blanket she saw the outline of the knife in her shoulder. She laid her head back against the side of the boat and stifled a sob. Just when she was about to release a torrent of tears a noise brought her back to reality. The sound of movement and the repeated hits of metal on metal pierced through her foggy senses. The sounds were getting closer. She had to move. Struggling to her feet Natalie moved unsteadily away from the noise. She tried her best not to make a sound, but her ungainly movements made stealth all but impossible. She saw the ladder in the distance and decided to head in that direction. Her attention was completely focused on her goal so she didn't see the hand that grabbed her sleeve until it was too late.

"What are you doing?" asked Scotty, as he pulled her into a tiny space between two engine components.

His hand was tightly wound around her mouth so he didn't expect her to answer.

"You were safer staying where you were" he said, slowly releasing her mouth.

"No, noises were coming towards me" said Natalie.

Scott tried to listen, but heard nothing unusual.

"I think you're imagining things" said Scott.

Natalie frowned but didn't bother to respond. Her strength was fading fast and she really wanted to sit down. She tried to step forward and her legs collapsed under her, sending her to the ground in a heap. On her way down she managed to send something clattering to the floor.

"I heard that" said Scott.

So had someone else. The door to the engine room opened and a body slipped down the stairs with practiced ease. Scott leaned down and grabbed the pipe Natalie had knocked off the shelf. He stood over her, ready to protect her as best he could. Suddenly the lights went on, blinding him.

"Scott! Are you ok?" asked Mike Fourtner.

"Where's Natalie?" asked Josh at the same time.

"Oh, fuck!" said Scott with a sigh. "She's right here. I'm so glad to see you guys."

Mike walked over to where Natalie was laying on the ground. He took one look at her pale face and blood soaked clothing and knew she was in serious trouble.

"Josh, grab her legs, we have to get her off the ground" ordered Mike. "Scott, call the wheelhouse, we need EMS here now."

"Roger" responded Scott as he raced to the phone.

Mike and Josh were able to move Natalie to the work bench next to the engine's main electrical panel. It was usually used for fabricating parts in emergency situations for the boat but today it was Mike's own surgical table.

"Hey Mike, I can't get anyone in the wheelhouse to answer the phone" said Scott. "I'm going up to see what's going on."

"Roger" replied Mike.

He sent Josh up to get the emergency kit and was now working on seeing how much damaged had been done. Using a pair of metal shears he cut away Natalie's jacket, shirt and bra. The cold air had puckered her nipples and her skin was broken out in goosebumps.

"I'm cccold" stuttered Natalie.

"I know, I'll try to get something to warm you up in a minute" said Mike. "But I need to see what I'm working with here. You've lost a lot of blood."

"Knife is in the artery" said Natalie.

"It's not, you'd be dead by now if it was" said Mike.

"Good news" said Natalie with a weak smile.

Josh appeared with the box and opened it on the floor next to Mike.

"What do you need?" asked Josh.

"Gloves, saline, and a lot of gauze pads" said Mike.

Josh wasted no time in getting the gloves on Mike and handing him the saline. Mike poured the saline over the knife tying to see if the blood was still flowing. He was disappointed to see that it was still bubbling up through the wound.

"She's not breathing" said Josh.

"What?!" said Mike.

"Her chest stopped moving" said Josh, his voice tinged with panic.

Mike leaned in and could hear very faint breaths.

"Give me the stethoscope."

Josh handed it over and Mike wasted no time listening to Natalie's heart and lungs.

"Something's wrong with her breath sounds on the left side" said Mike. "We need to roll her over."

"The table's too small" said Josh.

"Ok, stand here" commanded Mike. "I'm going to roll her into your arms, just hold her still until I roll her back."

'Ok dude" said Josh.

Mike moved Natalie into Josh's waiting arms and began pulling off the cut clothing. Once the jacket was off he could see the blood soaked shirt and underneath revealed another more serious problem.

"Fuck, she's got another stab wound back here" said Mike. "She needs to get the fuck off this boat, she needs a fucking hospital. Where the fuck is Scotty?"

"Mike, Josh, please come to the wheelhouse" said Andy's voice over the hailer.

"What the hell?" grunted Mike. "Are we just suppose to leave her here?"

"Dude, did he sound weird to you?" commented Josh.

"Um, he's not really my concern at the moment" said Mike, holding up his blood streaked hands.

"Guys, this is an order" said Andy.

Josh and Mike exchanged confused glances and then started maneuvering Natalie towards the door.

Sig, Andy and Jon had arrived into the darkened wheelhouse bent set on calling the authorities and then searching for Natalie. What they encountered was a gun toting psychopath holding a gun from the Time Bandit's own arsenal. The irony, it was the same gun Andy had vowed to get rid of after he'd grazed Fourtner earlier in the week. The trio of captains had followed their given instructions and called the rest of the crew members up to the wheelhouse. As each arrived they were greeted by a semi automatic rifle pointing to where they should be standing.

"Call the ones with Natalie" said the intruder. "I want her."

"She's not here" said Sig suddenly.

"LIAR" yelled the intruder, causing the hood to drop back.

The guys were surprised that a girl was holding them hostage.

"Bishop!?" said Sig.

"Yes, it's me" said Bishop. "I was hoping that we wouldn't have to meet under such stressful circumstances, but I guess you don't have a choice."

"You know this psycho bitch?" asked Jonathan.

For a moment Sig wished he'd let Nicole call Natalie on the radio. If the whole fleet knew about Bishop, he wouldn't be in this ridiculous mess.

"I must look a mess" said Bishop as she smoothed her head with her bloodied hand.

"You cut yourself" said Norman.

"I know, but the other person got much worse" said Bishop with a smile. "I want her up here, I want to watch her die."

Sig stepped forward.

"Uh Uh Uh, I want you, but I can always go for the next best thing" said Bishop, glancing at Norman.

"Guys, unless the fucking coasties are in this wheelhouse, this is the last place Natalie needs to be" said Mike Fourtner from the stairwell.

He crested the stairs first and the shock registered immediately on his face. Josh was walking behind him, holding an unconscious Natalie in his arms. He tapped Mike on the back in an effort to make him move forward.

"Bring her in" said Bishop, pointing the gun at Mike and then at Josh. "Put her on the bench."

Josh sat down on the bench, holding Natalie in his arms.

"Put her down" insisted Bishop.

"I don't want to get blood on the bench" lied Josh.

"Who cares?" said Bishop. "These boats are the dirtiest things ever, a little blood will just lead to a great story. I can hear it now, this is the spot that the dumb girl, who ruined one of the great Discovery producer's lives, died because she felt the need to defend some dumb crews reputation."

The crew members in the cramped wheelhouse exchanged confused looks. The only people that seemed to know what was going on were Sig and Norman.

Eddie had gotten tired of babysitting Nicole. Without an audience she was kind of boring. Deciding the guys were probably all passed out on the boat he decided to take the songstress home. Nicole had downed her gin and tonic and then dutifully followed Eddie out the door. After he'd stopped twice to let her pee in the snow they finally reached the dock. The Time Bandit was eerily quiet and the feeling on the boat made Eddie nervous. Nicole got more agitated as they got closer to the boat.

"We need to get to the boat" she said, for the third time.

"I'm going as fast as you are" said Eddie.

"Something's wrong" said Nicole.

"Like what?" asked Eddie. "They are probably just sleeping it off."

"No" said Nicole.

She sped up, when her heels slowed her down she took them off. Once at the boat she took a moment to figure out how to get down, deciding that the best was to just jump. Eddie caught her by the arm before she jumped 12 feet to the deck.

"I'll go first and you can jump into my arms" he explained.

"Fine, but hurry" said Nicole.

Eddie's feet had just hit the deck when a flash of light was seen from the wheelhouse, followed immediately by a loud bang.

"Catch me" said Natalie as she leaped from the dock.

The second her feet hit the ground she took off like a shot towards the open deck door. Eddie followed hot on her heels. If he didn't know any better he could swear he just heard a gunshot.

The wheelhouse was in a state of panic. Moments before Sig had tried to reason with Bishop and she'd responded by shooting him in the upper thigh. He'd dropped to the ground and against all better judgement Mike had rushed to Sig's side.

"I don't care what you are" yelled Bishop. "Get away from him."

"But you don't want your true love to die" reasoned Mike.

"He's not my true love" said Bishop, petulantly. "He loves her."

"She's dead" said Josh.

Bishop walked over and stared at Natalie's body in Josh's arms.

"Prove it" said Bishop.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Josh.

"Drop her" said Bishop. "Then I can shoot her, you know just to make sure she's really dead."

Looks of horror crossed the faces of everyone in the wheelhouse. The seconds became minutes as Bishop waited for Josh to drop the object of her rage.

"I don't want to defile the dead" said Josh.

"She won't know, she's dead" said Bishop simply.

"I don't want her coming back to haunt me" said Josh.

"Oh please, she's probably already giving your dad a blow job down in the next world" said Bishop. "She's a slut like that."

Josh clutched Natalie tighter in response to Bishop's disgusting comment.

"Drop her" insisted Bishop, taking a step closer to Josh.

"You should drop it" said Nicole as she pressed a .44 into Bishop's temple.

"Who the fuck are you?" asked Bishop turning to see who it was.

Her face registered surprise, then bewilderment and before could even formulate a response Nicole pulled the trigger, splashing Bishop's gray matter across the room.

"Has the whole world gone crazy!" yelled Andy. "You can't discharge a fire arm, you just killed, my wheelhouse, the fuck."

"I think he's in a state of shock" said Jonathan, pushing Andy into the Captain's chair.

"No more guns on this boat" mumbled Andy. "No more guns."

"Can someone please call an ambulance" said Mike. "Before someone else dies."

Nicole knelt in front of Josh and placed her head next to Natalie's ear.

"Come on Natty, I know you're in there" she said quietly. "Stay with me. Please. I can't get along without you."

"She's not dead" said Josh. "I just said that to try to get whoever that was to stop trying to kill us."

"I know" said Nicole solemnly. "Natty, please wake up."


End file.
